2016 NBA Draft: Skal Labissiere is the draft’s ultimate wild card
Kentucky Wildcats forward Skal Labissiere could land in the 2016 NBA Draft lottery, or he could fall all the way to 20th overall.
As the number two overall recruit in the class of 2015 and a once projected number one pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, forward Skal Labissiere was expected to be the “next best thing” for John Calipari at Kentucky.
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Instead, the 6’10” big man from Haiti struggled mightily, as he failed to adjust to the rigors of the college game, was lacking in confidence, and did not show the toughness needed to battle with high quality bigs on the interior.
Labissiere averaged just 6.6 points per game, grabbed 3.1 rebounds per game and blocked 1.6 shots per outing. He showed flashes of brilliance late in the season – against Florida and LSU – but his limited basketball experience was evident.
He just didn’t have the feel and IQ level that was needed to succeed against high quality competition.
Labissiere’s minutes fluctuated throughout the year and he often found himself in Calipari’s doghouse. He was unable to get in a rhythm and needed more development in order to truly make an impact on the game.
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Despite his issues in his freshman campaign, Labissiere declared for the NBA Draft, hiring an agent in the process. He is no longer being considered as one of the top prospects in the class because of his minimal production at the college level, but that doesn’t mean Labissiere isn’t an intriguing talent.
In fact, the Haiti native fits the new mold of NBA bigs who have great fluidity, the ability to hit shots from all over the floor, the capability of spacing the floor, and the awareness to block shots and protect the paint defensively.
Labissiere is officially the ‘wild card’ of the 2016 NBA Draft. He very well could be selected as high as 7th overall (Denver Nuggets) and as low as 20th overall (Indiana Pacers).
There is also a possibility he could rise even higher, possibly to 5th or 6th overall, where the Minnesota Timberwolves and New Orleans Pelicans could prove that you can never have enough floor-stretching, skilled bigs.
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NBA teams are surely concerned about Labissiere’s year at Kentucky, but decision makers are drafting based mainly on potential and not just instant impact.
And Labissiere has loads of potential.
While he needs to bulk up and learn more about the nuances of the game before he jumps into the fire at the next level, he has versatility to play both positions on the front line.
Most importantly, he can have a profound impact on an organization and can be a core piece to a team in three to four years down the road.
Numerous teams are interested in that type of talent. The Toronto Raptors need a power forward to fill out their starting lineup, the Sacramento Kings need all the talent they can find, and the Orlando Magic would love a floor stretching big to play next to former Arizona Wildcat Aaron Gordon.
And those are just three teams. At this point, there are endless possibilities for Labissiere, as some organizations will value the potential while other teams will have major question marks about his instability at UK.
There are areas of his game that Labissiere will need to develop, but there is no doubt he could ultimately have a monster impact at the next level.
Just give him a chance and maybe he will indeed live up to and/or exceed the expectations.
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He didn’t do it at Kentucky but that doesn’t mean he should be counted out.