Will 7-7 Tacko Fall pan out in the NBA?

Will 7-7 Tacko Fall pan out in the NBA? 'I'm impressed with how easily he moves'

https://sports.yahoo.com/tacko-fall-pan-out-in-the-nba-77-prospect-leaves-some-impressed-at-draft-combine-030027501.html

CHICAGO — The jaw-dropping official measurement came in at the NBA draft combine on Wednesday. UCF center Tacko Fall measured 7-foot-7 in shoes, the latest Bunyan-esque figure to add to a career story defined by, well, tall tales.

Fall captured America’s imagination during the NCAA tournament when UCF squared off with Duke and Fall boldly declared that he wouldn’t let Duke’s Zion Williamson dunk on him. UCF nearly pulled off the upset, as Fall and the Knights held their ground. But Williamson ended up drawing an and-one basket in the game’s final seconds to help top-seeded Duke escape with a 77-76 second-round victory.

When the NBA draft combine officially begins here Thursday, Fall will resume a familiar role as the most intriguing player on the court. Since arriving in America from Senegal more than six years ago, Fall’s size has drawn plenty of attention. He checked in here at 7-foot-5¼ without shoes and an 8-foot-2¼ wingspan. He weighed 289 pounds with just 6.8 percent body fat.

Fall has the ultimate opportunity here this week to allow his play to draw more attention than his size, as his performance in the G League Elite Camp earlier this week earned him an invitation to the combine. For Fall, who would be one of just nine players in league history to stand over 7-5, the opportunity to get drafted or land on an NBA roster increases with the two extra days of exposure.

“Stay true to myself and do what I do well, I’m a great defensive player,” he said of his role. “I can impact the game in that way the most.”

His explanation of his offensive game included an unintentional summary of why so many are intrigued by him: “I’m an easy target. I’m hard to miss.”

And these days, there’s an increasing curiosity for teams envisioning a role for Fall. The positive playoff moments for Boban Marjanovic have allowed teams to project a defensive stopper role. Former Atlanta Hawks general manager Wes Wilcox saw Fall at the G League camp earlier this week and wanted to see more.

“I’m impressed with how easily he moves,” Wilcox told Yahoo Sports. “He runs well and has great coordination and balance. Having no base of knowledge, other than TV, I’m very much impressed. You don’t see 7-foot-5 guys with that coordination move the way that he does. I’m intrigued.”

Fall said that he has spent the nearly two months since the season ended working out in Los Angeles with noted NBA trainer Drew Hanlen. Fall averaged 11.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks for UCF this season, but his defining statistics may have come with his struggles at the free-throw line. He shot 36 percent from the free-throw line (59 for 163), a 10 percent dip from the prior season. That led to hybrid Hack-A-Shaq strategies, and made Fall an offensive liability at the end of games.

Not surprisingly, Fall said that he and Hanlen worked a lot on free throws. They also focused on his core strength and conditioning, as he tends to wear down after a few trips down the floor. Fall recognized what teams want to see from him and realizes that it’s similar to what Marjanovic has provided during his career as a paint filler and defensive stopper.

“I was happy to see Boban do really good,” Fall said. “No matter how much people say the game has changed, you’re always going to need someone like that.”

A realistic projection for Fall would be a late second-round pick who gets stashed to develop in the G League. Fall has impressed teams during meetings here with his polish, humility and story. He came to America from Dakar, bounced around different high school situations across the country before finally landing with a stable family in Florida. He spent more than six years in America without seeing his mother, who flew over to see him on his senior night at UCF. That perseverance and his engaging personality has left an impression on teams.

“Ten or 12 years ago, he’d have been a first-round pick” said a veteran scout. “He runs better in a straight line than Roy Hibbert, and he’s going to get a look in our league because of Boban.”

The pace and space of the modern NBA game have turned bulky and limited bigs — think former Utah center Mark Eaton — into relics of the past. But Fall has worked himself into having a shot at the NBA.

“He’s played well enough out here to at least say there may be a path for him,” Wilcox said. “Even though the modern-day [game] works toward more perimeter-oriented big men.”

There’s a chance that Fall’s game may translate better overseas, where he can guard the rim without worrying about defensive three seconds being called. But his goal is clear.

“I’m open to anything,” Fall said. “My end goal is definitely the NBA. I’ll take any route to that. I believe that I belong, that I can play in the NBA.”

And whether he lands a gig there or not, Fall is focused on giving back to kids in Senegal so they can chase their hoop dreams in a more linear path than his.

“Especially in my country,” he said of giving back. “I want to give the kids in my country the same opportunity that I was given. The way I started, I had a lot of help. More guidance would have been more helpful. Just me having the opportunity to do that. Give back. Have camps. Help kids ... that’s something I want to invest my time in moving forward.”


My comments:  I don't watch college basketball.  Question to those who do:  He is slated to go in the mid second round (more or less).  Should we spend one of our first round picks on this guy and give him time to develop? We need bigs, you don't get much bigger than him.

He shot 36 percent from the free-throw line.  Ouch.

gyso

Hard to see anyone drafting him in the first round, but it only takes one team to think he can get on an NBA court.


here's write ups on some of the big men who could be drafted this year.


http://www.nbadraftroom.com/2016/03/bol-bol.html

http://www.nbadraftroom.com/2017/01/tacko-fall.html

http://www.nbadraftroom.com/p/neemias-queta.html

http://www.nbadraftroom.com/p/goga-bitadze.html

http://www.nbadraftroom.com/p/daniel-gafford.html

http://www.nbadraftroom.com/p/mfiondu-kabengele.html

http://www.nbadraftroom.com/2016/12/charles-bassey.html

http://www.nbadraftroom.com/p/bruno-fernando.html

http://www.nbadraftroom.com/2016/02/nazreon-reid.html


Kabengele is an interesting guy who's been under the radar, but might be ready sooner than most to compete. especially as a late first round pick.

While Gafford , Bassey and Fernando could all be solid first rounds picks for us with any of our picks, IMO.

gyso wrote:Will 7-7 Tacko Fall pan out in the NBA? 'I'm impressed with how easily he moves'

https://sports.yahoo.com/tacko-fall-pan-out-in-the-nba-77-prospect-leaves-some-impressed-at-draft-combine-030027501.html

CHICAGO — The jaw-dropping official measurement came in at the NBA draft combine on Wednesday. UCF center Tacko Fall measured 7-foot-7 in shoes, the latest Bunyan-esque figure to add to a career story defined by, well, tall tales.

Fall captured America’s imagination during the NCAA tournament when UCF squared off with Duke and Fall boldly declared that he wouldn’t let Duke’s Zion Williamson dunk on him. UCF nearly pulled off the upset, as Fall and the Knights held their ground. But Williamson ended up drawing an and-one basket in the game’s final seconds to help top-seeded Duke escape with a 77-76 second-round victory.

When the NBA draft combine officially begins here Thursday, Fall will resume a familiar role as the most intriguing player on the court. Since arriving in America from Senegal more than six years ago, Fall’s size has drawn plenty of attention. He checked in here at 7-foot-5¼ without shoes and an 8-foot-2¼ wingspan. He weighed 289 pounds with just 6.8 percent body fat.

Fall has the ultimate opportunity here this week to allow his play to draw more attention than his size, as his performance in the G League Elite Camp earlier this week earned him an invitation to the combine. For Fall, who would be one of just nine players in league history to stand over 7-5, the opportunity to get drafted or land on an NBA roster increases with the two extra days of exposure.

“Stay true to myself and do what I do well, I’m a great defensive player,” he said of his role. “I can impact the game in that way the most.”

His explanation of his offensive game included an unintentional summary of why so many are intrigued by him: “I’m an easy target. I’m hard to miss.”

And these days, there’s an increasing curiosity for teams envisioning a role for Fall. The positive playoff moments for Boban Marjanovic have allowed teams to project a defensive stopper role. Former Atlanta Hawks general manager Wes Wilcox saw Fall at the G League camp earlier this week and wanted to see more.

“I’m impressed with how easily he moves,” Wilcox told Yahoo Sports. “He runs well and has great coordination and balance. Having no base of knowledge, other than TV, I’m very much impressed. You don’t see 7-foot-5 guys with that coordination move the way that he does. I’m intrigued.”

Fall said that he has spent the nearly two months since the season ended working out in Los Angeles with noted NBA trainer Drew Hanlen. Fall averaged 11.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks for UCF this season, but his defining statistics may have come with his struggles at the free-throw line. He shot 36 percent from the free-throw line (59 for 163), a 10 percent dip from the prior season. That led to hybrid Hack-A-Shaq strategies, and made Fall an offensive liability at the end of games.

Not surprisingly, Fall said that he and Hanlen worked a lot on free throws. They also focused on his core strength and conditioning, as he tends to wear down after a few trips down the floor. Fall recognized what teams want to see from him and realizes that it’s similar to what Marjanovic has provided during his career as a paint filler and defensive stopper.

“I was happy to see Boban do really good,” Fall said. “No matter how much people say the game has changed, you’re always going to need someone like that.”

A realistic projection for Fall would be a late second-round pick who gets stashed to develop in the G League. Fall has impressed teams during meetings here with his polish, humility and story. He came to America from Dakar, bounced around different high school situations across the country before finally landing with a stable family in Florida. He spent more than six years in America without seeing his mother, who flew over to see him on his senior night at UCF. That perseverance and his engaging personality has left an impression on teams.

“Ten or 12 years ago, he’d have been a first-round pick” said a veteran scout. “He runs better in a straight line than Roy Hibbert, and he’s going to get a look in our league because of Boban.”

The pace and space of the modern NBA game have turned bulky and limited bigs — think former Utah center Mark Eaton — into relics of the past. But Fall has worked himself into having a shot at the NBA.

“He’s played well enough out here to at least say there may be a path for him,” Wilcox said. “Even though the modern-day [game] works toward more perimeter-oriented big men.”

There’s a chance that Fall’s game may translate better overseas, where he can guard the rim without worrying about defensive three seconds being called. But his goal is clear.

“I’m open to anything,” Fall said. “My end goal is definitely the NBA. I’ll take any route to that. I believe that I belong, that I can play in the NBA.”

And whether he lands a gig there or not, Fall is focused on giving back to kids in Senegal so they can chase their hoop dreams in a more linear path than his.

“Especially in my country,” he said of giving back. “I want to give the kids in my country the same opportunity that I was given. The way I started, I had a lot of help. More guidance would have been more helpful. Just me having the opportunity to do that. Give back. Have camps. Help kids ... that’s something I want to invest my time in moving forward.”


My comments:  I don't watch college basketball.  Question to those who do:  He is slated to go in the mid second round (more or less).  Should we spend one of our first round picks on this guy and give him time to develop?  We need bigs, you don't get much bigger than him.

He shot 36 percent from the free-throw line.  Ouch.

gyso

I have watched Tacko many times and last year sat in the front row of a UCF/USF game here in Tampa.
There is no way a team should spend a first round pick on him.
He could get drafted in the second half of round two or will go undrafted.
For a man 7'7", he is pretty athletic. Way more athletic than Boban Marjanovic.
Tacko has serious offensive limitations and does not have great hands for a man that big and whose hands are enormous.
I am not sure that Tacko is as driven as others are to succeed in basketball.
He is very intelligent and his long term goal is to be an engineer at Microsoft.
My son and I both agreed after rooting for him for 4 years and watching his last game when UCF lost to Duke by 1 point, that we do not think he is going to make an NBA roster.

he would have 15-20 years ago for sure though. (made an NAB roster I mean)

did i see right that Bol Bol weighed in at a slim 208#?

that just 'aint right man, might have cost himself a lot of money by not being in some type of weight program the past few months.

I mean 208#?

kdp59 wrote:he would have 15-20 years ago for sure though. (made an NAB roster I mean)

did i see right that Bol Bol weighed in at a slim 208#?

that just 'aint right man, might have cost himself a lot of money by not being in some type of weight program the past few months.

I mean 208#?

7.1% body fat. Is there some typo here? Or has he never been to a weight room?

KyleCleric wrote:

kdp59 wrote:he would have 15-20 years ago for sure though. (made an NAB roster I mean)

did i see right that Bol Bol weighed in at a slim 208#?

that just 'aint right man, might have cost himself a lot of money by not being in some type of weight program the past few months.

I mean 208#?

7.1% body fat. Is there some typo here? Or has he never been to a weight room?

The Oregon basketball roster listed him at 235 pounds.
I wonder if that was true and he lost a lot of weight recently due to not working out or was his college weight listed incorrectly.
When I met Manute Bol in 1985 at a USBL basketball game before he was in the NBA, he was 7'7" 190 lbs.
His arms and legs were so long he seemed like a human spider.

My youngest brother (14 years younger) is 6'-7" tall and weighed about 130 pounds in high school.  His dink classmates used to tease him by calling him Manute.  That drove him to the weight room after HS, where he topped out at 240 lbs or so.  His goal was 250 lbs.  Back then, he had single digit body fat.

Now, after life happened and he no longer has time to work out, he has reached his old goal and then some (closer to 265).  I recently asked him how that worked out for him (in a LOL kind of way), and he said that he would rather weigh closer to 200 lbs, but it ain't happening any time soon.

Fall was entertaining to watch late this NCAA season and in the tourney.

He is not NBA material, however, and my guess is he goes undrafted unless someone wants to take a real gamble.

He's raw, having taken up basketball only a relatively short time ago.

He may be (and, is) very raw and very inexperienced, but from the videos he does run fairly well and that with being 7'6 will get him drafted even if he is taken as a 'project'. There certainly will be other 'project' guys taken in the second round of this draft.

He will need lots of coaching, a strength program and a conditioning program that all will make him a two or three year project. For the Cs, Yabuslele had all of these components when he arrived, and he has done very little in his time in Boston because he is too slow to be a forward and too short to be a center. At least Fall is not too short to be a center.

Not sure that the Cs can use a first round pick on him, but taking him with their second round pick is not out of the realm of a good idea. 7'6 is 7'6, and so what if he is the 15th man on a Boston roster.

Reports are he played very well in scrimmages at the recent NBA combine, one writer even saying he played good pnr defense....but 37% FT shooting is not gonna be good on the floor.

Don't lose any sleep over striking it rich in the 2nd round - since 2000-01 - 540 players have been selected in the 2nd round and only 42 0f them were centers that played in at least 25 games. Only 7 have played starter minutes and only 3 (Jocik, Jordon and Whiteside) have been major factors on the boards.

Complete list of all 42 players and their stats below

http://bkref.com/tiny/2cI6d

swish

swish wrote:Don't lose any sleep over striking it rich in the 2nd round - since 2000-01 - 540 players have been selected in the 2nd round and only 42 0f them were centers that played in at least 25 games. Only 7 have played starter minutes and only 3 (Jocik, Jordon and Whiteside) have been major factors on the boards.

Complete list of all 42 players and their stats below

  http://bkref.com/tiny/2cI6d

 swish

thanks for the wake up to reality...LOL.

I would argue (and you can find the reality I bet) that having a first round pick past # 15 over the past 10 years typically gives you a marginal NBA player at best. With the expection of drafting an OLDER player who has played multiple years at the college level.

what do you say swish, can you do one with those stats?

kdp59 wrote:

swish wrote:Don't lose any sleep over striking it rich in the 2nd round - since 2000-01 - 540 players have been selected in the 2nd round and only 42 0f them were centers that played in at least 25 games. Only 7 have played starter minutes and only 3 (Jocik, Jordon and Whiteside) have been major factors on the boards.

Complete list of all 42 players and their stats below

  http://bkref.com/tiny/2cI6d

 swish

thanks for the wake up to reality...LOL.

I would argue (and you can find the reality I bet) that having a first round pick past # 15 over the past 10 years typically gives you a marginal NBA player at best. With the expection of drafting an OLDER player who has played multiple years at the college level.

what do you say swish, can you do one with those stats?

Here's the list - notice that it is for all positions. Listed stats should answer most of your questions. The listed age when drafted should clue you as to their college years - but If more info is needed just click onto the players name and his college info can be found among all the other stats.
     There's a huge,huge difference between the quality of the players found in the bottom half of the 1st round and the players drafted in the 2nd round - Happy reading.

http://bkref.com/tiny/by0ZG


  swish

thanks swish!!

so I count 12  players  (not counting 2 International players) under the age of 20 when drafted that have averaged 20 min or more per game, over that 10 year span.

what is that  150 players drafted?

less than 10% become  rotational players or better?

6 players who were 20YO when drafted make the 20 min/G mark

17 players age 21

14 players age 22 or over


I did not count ANY International players unless they played college ball in the US, because those players likely have been playing Pro ball over seas for a few years by the time they were drafted.



something to consider with the Celtics #20 and 22 picks this year , find  college players age 20 or more if you want to  have a chance at getting some help from those picks.

added some players projected to be on the board at #20 or below who are 21YO or over:

Brandon Clarke
http://www.nbadraftroom.com/p/brandon-clarke.html

Cam Johnson
http://www.nbadraftroom.com/p/cam-johnson.html

Mfiondu Kabengele
http://www.nbadraftroom.com/p/mfiondu-kabengele.html

MatisseThybulle
http://www.nbadraftroom.com/p/matisse-thybulle.html

Ty Jerome
http://www.nbadraftroom.com/p/ty-jerome.html

kdp59 wrote:thanks swish!!

so I count 12  players  (not counting 2 International players) under the age of 20 when drafted that have averaged 20 min or more per game, over that 10 year span.

what is that  150 players drafted?

less than 10% become  rotational players or better?

6 players who were 20YO when drafted make the 20 min/G mark

17 players age 21

14 players age 22 or over


I did not count ANY International players unless they played college ball in the US, because those players likely have been playing Pro ball over seas for a few years by the time they were drafted.



something to consider with the Celtics #20 and 22 picks this year , find  college players age 20 or more if you want to  have a chance at getting some help from those picks.

147 players to be exact.-------- Nice job of injecting some new thoughts into the pitfalls of player selection. As you can see from the stats of the players drafted from # 16 up - on average the higher you draft the more likely for sucess.

swish

Wouldn’t it be worth it to have Tacko or Bol Bol as the 13th man (on a minimum contract) on the roster, just to have him available for special situations.......such as harassing the player inbounding the ball at the end of a game or quarter? I’m sure Brad could find other limited opportunities for someone their size.

bobc33 wrote:Wouldn’t it be worth it to have Tacko or Bol Bol as the 13th man (on a minimum contract) on the roster, just to have him available for special situations.......such as harassing the player inbounding the ball at the end of a game or quarter?  I’m sure Brad could find other limited opportunities for someone their size.

Or to cut down the net following a championship win.

swish