Friday, June 24, 2022

Cavaliers select Khalifa Diop

 The Cleveland Cavaliers started draft day with two second-round picks, I would have been mildly surprised if they actually used both picks, so I would have been more surprised that they used all three picks after they acquired another selection from Sacramento for 1.75 million dollars.

The first of these picks was the 39th overall pick and the Cavaliers used it on an intriguing player that they will not have to place on the main roster with the selection of Senegal center Khalifa Diop.

Diop is twenty years old and played in Spain last season earning the award for the best player under twenty-two years of age in the EuroCup league, which is the European version of Triple-A baseball.

Diop is no relation to former first-round selection DeSagana Diop, who the Cavaliers picked eighth overall in 2001 and averaged a whopping two points per game in six hundred one games in the league.

Diop was chosen over several players that had very productive careers such as Tony Parker, Gilbert Arenas, Joe Johnson, and Zach Randolph to name only a few, so to long-time Cleveland fans, the name Diop does bring a wince.

But that was then, and this Diop was taken thirty-ninth not eighth which makes a project a more palatable gamble to tab.

Diop isn't regarded as an overly athletic big man and is an inside scorer rather than someone that will force defenses to move out on him to guard against a jumper.

He is regarded as a very hard worker, willing to do the dirty work inside, and is reported to not only be very good at setting picks and screens but he enjoys the physical part of the game.

Cleveland will allow Diop to play in Europe again this season, which allows him to continue to develop his game and saves the team the worries of using a roster spot on a developmental big man that will rarely play.

From what I've seen, Khalifa Diop could turn out to be a serviceable second-unit big man as his ceiling if all goes well and in the second round, there are no guarantees of any players maxing out to their potential but it is a mild gamble on a raw talent.

Back later or tomorrow (boxing challenge to be written) with the other two second-round selections added by the Cavaliers.



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