Pelicans NBA Draft: 2nd round sleeper compares to Pascal Siakam

New Orleans Pelicans NBA Draft: 2nd round sleeper Lamine Diane from Cal State

Lamine Diane’s Weaknesses

Even though Diane just finished his sophomore season, he is already 22-years-old, which puts him in with the older prospects in the draft.

He also played in the Big West, which is not considered a power conference, so he put up huge numbers against inferior competition.

Diane also got plenty of chances, with an astronomical 38 percent usage rate that allowed him to pretty much be a one-man show.  He’s not a great ball-handler, so he’d have to find ways to get buckets at the next level without having the ball in his hands.

Diane has good length but he isn’t an elite athlete, which might make it difficult to stay in front of small forwards.

The biggest issue for Diane is that he is not a great shooter. His form is all over the place and he shot less than 30 percent from behind the arc. This isn’t a deal-breaker, as we know the shot is the one thing that most players improve in the NBA.

But would Diane be able to shoot it well enough to stay on the floor? He has the tools to be a high-energy rebounder and defender, but his offensive game is very raw.

How might he fit on the New Orleans Pelicans?