Detroit Pistons: 2019 NBA Draft grades

No. 15 pick: Sekou Doumbouya

With the 15th pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, the Pistons selected French power forward Sekou Doumbouya. Sekou brings a ton of size at 6’9″ and 230 pounds, and he’s also got a lot of talent for his size. Some compared him to Pascal Siakam of the Toronto Raptors, but his game is a little more post-up based than Siakam. He’s also a decent outside shooter for a big man, but he does have to work on that skill to become a legitimate stretch-4.

He went pro at the age of 15, and he averaged 17.8 points per game during that first season. He won’t turn 19 until December, which gives the team all the more time to develop him into a solid player, but it’s on them to do that. They’ve struggled to develop players in recent years after selecting them in the first round, with guys like Henry Ellenson and Stanley Johnson coming to mind.

Doumbouya’s position is somewhere between the small forward and power forward spots, so it could be interesting to see where Detroit decides to put him. He’s obviously not going to start over Griffin, and he might not have the defensive speed to match up with small forwards. With guys like Grant Williams, Mattise Thybulle and Keldon Johnson still on the board, there were some guys that could have started right away for them at the same spot.

Grade: C