NBA Draft 2019: Best and worst fits for all potential lottery picks

12. Sekou Doumbouya, 6-9 F, Limoges CSP

BEST: Boston Celtics

Positional size and versatility on the wing is at a premium in the NBA, with teams constantly hunting for forwards with the defensive chops to stick to multiple positions seamlessly the and the offensive tools to be a plus on that end. Is Sekou Doumbouya the next international prospect to blow away NBA teams? He certainly has the size (6-9, 230 pounds) and length (6-11 wingspan) that teams clamor for, and his above-the-rim athleticism makes him a strong bet to finish at the basket and deter shots on defense.

He also runs the floor hard, shows glimpses of acute weak-side recognition on defense, and has steadily improved as a shooter over the past few seasons playing overseas as a teenager. Doumbouya is still incredibly raw and needs to improve essentially all aspects of his game, from the fundamentals to basic skills and understandings of the game. At 18 years old, he’s the youngest eligible player in the 2019 NBA Draft — he won’t even turn 19 until December 23. His age makes him an intriguing prospect but a poor bet to contribute right away.

The Boston Celtics would be an ideal landing spot in the lottery, considering that they could either stash him overseas for another year or two so he can continue developing his body and game, or they can bring him over immediately and let him play his first season out in the G-League with the Maine Red Claws. Boston isn’t in any hurry with their prospects, and they’re not afraid of using picks on European players that they don’t intend on bringing over right away.

The Celtics own as many as four first-round picks and could spare one on a draft-and-stash candidate as promising as Doumbouya. Whenever he’s ready to play in the NBA, he’d be heading to a team that prioritizes versatility from its wings/forwards, and he could prove to be the team’s best option at power forward if everything goes right for him.

WORST: Washington Wizards, Phoenix Suns

Mentioned previously when discussing Nassir Little’s fit in Washington, an organizational lack of patience pertaining to the development of young players, specifically forwards, is worrisome for a prospect as raw and unpolished as Doumbouya.

Phoenix slots in quite obviously as a poor fit due to their track record with drafting projects and raw prospects in the lottery — Dragan Bender (2016 No. 4), Marquese Chriss (2016 No. 8) and Josh Jackson (2017 No. 4) haven’t panned out as planned. Chriss was traded to Houston (and then to Cleveland) after his second season, Bender had his fourth-year team option declined, and Josh Jackson is getting inconsistent minutes off the bench and has an uncertain future with the organization based on the wing talent ahead of him in the rotation.

Phoenix’s pick could slide as far back as seventh in the draft order if luck is against them on lottery night, which is right where Doumbouya’s draft range starts. For the sake of the Suns and Doumbouya, hopefully they don’t view him as a power forward of the future to pair with DeAndre Ayton in the front court — history is not on their side. General manager James Jones doesn’t seem to be much of a scouting enthusiast, anyway, so it’s reasonable to believe that he hasn’t even heard of Doumbouya, which could either be good for the 18-year-old — if they were to pass on him — or absolutely horrible for him — if they were to select him anyway without knowing anything about his play style or development outlook.