According to a Yahoo! Sports report, the Milwaukee Bucks have reportedly brought in undrafted Virginia center Mamadi Diaktie on a two-way deal.
The work hasn’t stopped for the Milwaukee Bucks as they continue to churn over their roster from the ground up.
First reported by Yahoo! Sports’ Chris Haynes Saturday night, the Bucks and undrafted Virginia center Mamadi Diakite have agreed on a two-way deal for the second of their two-way contract slots.
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This comes on the heels of the Bucks reportedly bringing Jaylen Adams on a two-way deal, who had been with the Wisconsin Herd, the Bucks’ G League affiliate, last year and who finished as the runner up in MVP voting behind teammate Frank Mason III.
Some may be surprised by this news as it had been reported that the Bucks originally signed undrafted Kentucky forward EJ Montgomery to one of their two-way deals following the draft. That obviously is premature and perhaps Montgomery has signed a training camp deal that will then send him to the Herd. That may be revealed in due time.
As for Diakite, the former Cavalier lands in quite the cushy spot in Milwaukee to groom as one of their two-way deals and at least add some center depth as they continue to scour the free agent market for a backup center.
What does Mamadi Diakite bring to the Milwaukee Bucks after reportedly signing a two-way deal?
Diakite is fresh off an impressive five-year stay at Virginia where he eventually became an NCAA champion during the Cavaliers’ title-winning season during 2018-19.
While the Guinean international didn’t have a flashy role under head coach and Wisconsin native Tony Bennett, Diakite’s stabilizing presence led to him enjoying a nice featured role within their backcourt by his senior season last year.
Diakite is coming off a campaign in which he averaged 13.7 points on a .478/.364/.754 slash line, 6.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks over 32.8 minutes per game in 30 appearances. Those marks helped him land a All-ACC second team selection to close out his time in Charlottesville.
It was Diakite’ mobility, athleticism and physical tools that made him a crucial contributor within their famed pack-line defense. At 6’9″ and a 7’3″ wingspan, Diakite has the ability to play as a center in the NBA, though will surely have to bulk up considerably to hold on his own in such a role.
It’s on the offensive side of the ball where Diakite has undergone a steadying facelift, especially as he’s drifted more towards the perimeter. The swing skill for Diakite and a huge reason why he may have gone undrafted is that’s he’s yet to add a 3-point shot to his wide-ranging skill set.
While he’s coming off a season in which he shot 36.4 percent from three, Diakite only has 83 3-point attempts under his name at the college level and he hit such shots at a 33.7 percent clip. The promising aspect of Diakite’s shooting ability is his free throw shooting as he was a 72 percent free throw shooter at Virginia. The 23-year-old has real touch that can help him space out to the perimeter, along with playing a more traditional screen-and-dive game.
The bigger question that Bucks fans may be wondering is whether they could have landed on a player to watch for in the future. The combination of Diakite’s defensive excellence as well as his growing, but still developing perimeter skills make for a nice 3-and-D center in the mold of the Bucks’ starting center, Brook Lopez.
Diakite is far off from achieving that standard at this stage, but he’s certainly worth taking a flyer on and could see spot minutes in Milwaukee over the 2020-21 season. With that, we welcome Diakite to Milwaukee and we’ll stay tuned to his future both in Milwaukee and in Oshkosh with the Herd.