NBA Draft 2019: 5 targets for the New Orleans Pelicans

2. Mfiondu Kabengele, Big, Florida State

Kabengele presents an intriguing combination of physical tools and burgeoning skills but he’s a player who needs a ton of polish. At 6-foot-10 with a 7-foot-1 wingspan, he has the size and strength to play center but the quickness and athleticism to see minutes at the 4 as well. He’s already a very good rim protector and can be a force on the glass. Defending in space will be the challenge for him, something that can be helped a lot by better awareness, positioning and restraint on defense but his facility as a spot-up shooter (36.9 percent on 3-pointers) and ability to attack closeouts with simple drives adds range to his offensive possibilities.

However, he had the opportunity to have the ball in his hands to try and create a lot more at Florida State than he will in the NBA. He’s a very raw passer and not a great decision-maker with the ball and will need to be actively limited on offense to spotting-up or crashing to the rim as a lob threat in the pick-and-roll. He needs to get better as a screen-setter, at reading a defense, picking his spots and other sorts of fundamental skills but size, length, athleticism and shooting make his ceiling intriguingly high.