NBA Draft 2019 Prospect Watch: Mfiondu Kabengele

What the experts say

(as of 6/1/19)

ESPN [$] (Jonathan Givony): 27th

The Ringer (Kevin O’Connor): 42nd

Sports Illustrated (Jeremy Woo): 19th

Sporting News (Chris Stone): N/A

The Athletic [$] (Sam Vecenie): 40th

The Stepien (Composite Rank): 81st

The Step Back (Brandon Kleen): N/A

Quotes:

Placing him 30th on his most recent big board, Sports Illustrated’s Jeremy Woo noted Kabengele’s modernized skill set for a big as why he’ll be a worthy selection in this year’s NBA Draft:

"“Kabengele emerged over the course of the season as Florida State’s sixth man, showcasing a surprising level of defensive mobility for a big-bodied player and proving he can block shots, rebound with consistency and knock down spot-up threes. The nephew of Dikembe Mutombo, Kabengele’s productivity and willingness to play a role has made him one of the more intriguing guys to follow as the combine approaches. He checks the right boxes for an energy big, and if the jump shot translates, there’s an interesting player here.”"

Echoing Woo’s comments about how he’s played himself into being selected in the first round, especially after this year’s NBA Draft Combine, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic relayed the one potential concern surrounding Kabengele teams around the league are looking to address in the pre-draft process:

"“The one thing that’s worth noting: teams want to get a look at the medical testing taken at the combine surrounding Kabengele’s knees. Throughout the season, Kabengele wore braces on both knees, raising questions about their strength in the long-term. This isn’t to say there is an issue there; rather, teams just tend to be overly cautious and want to get a look to confirm. As long as that comes back clean, expect that Kabengele goes in Round One.”"