What the experts say
(as of 6/11/18)
ESPN (Jonathan Givony): 40th
The Ringer (Kevin O’Connor, Jonathan Tjarks, Danny Chau): 34th
Sports Illustrated (Jeremy Woo): 43rd
Sporting News (Chris Stone): N/A
The Athletic (Sam Vecenie): 37th
The Stepien (Composite Rank): 88th, Tier 7
The Step Back (Brandon Kleen): N/A
Quotes:
Sam Vecenie of The Athletic writes that due to the many holes present in his game at this point in time, Diallo stands as an interesting long-term project for a team in the second round of this year’s draft:
"“Oh, boy. Where to begin with Diallo, the player responsible for such spectacular flashes in addition to mind-numbingly silly mistakes? On the plus side, he has tremendous size for the wing position with a 7-foot-plus wingspan, and nearly set the record for highest vertical jump in predraft history when he went to the NBA Draft Combine last season. He’s a remarkably explosive athlete, and when he wants to use those gifts defensively, he is really impactful on that end. But he doesn’t utilize his athleticism on offense other than in transition because he can’t really handle the ball, doesn’t have a terrific feel for the game and really struggles to shoot, with a pronounced hitch at the top of his jumper. The situation at Kentucky was tough because of a lack of offensive spacing, but he needs an awful lot of development time to reach what he’s capable of, given his athletic gifts. It’s definitely an interesting project for a team to undertake given his tools and the NBA’s need for wings, but it should probably happen in the second round.”"
Noting how much of the outlook surrounding Diallo has changed in a year’s time, Jeremy Woo over at Sports Illustrated similarly believes that the former Wildcat is worth rolling the dice on, due to his athletic gifts and upside:
"“Had he stayed in the draft a year ago, Diallo would likely have been a first-rounder. This time around, the picture is much more cloudy, as his immense physical talents are unchanged, but his lack of ball skills have been exposed. Diallo began to turn it on as a defender late in the season and remains a dynamic player in transition, where few can keep up with him. But his skill set is still unrefined, his handle loose and his offensive feel in the halfcourt limited. Diallo’s talent is still worth a dice roll in a low-risk situation, but his actual offensive ceiling will be a bit capped without significant improvement. Best-case scenario: he becomes a plus defender, hits enough threes to keep himself on the floor, excels in transition and becomes a useful rotation player.”"