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Emmanuel Mudiay – 6’5” Point Guard, Guandong, International, 19 years old
Offensive Game – Mudiay is an intriguing prospect. He is tall and strong and can take the ball to the hoop while drawing contact. However, as we have seen in 2015 NBA playoffs, free throw shooting is important too. Mudiay is not a good free throw shooter. Teams may just foul him before he can shoot. Mudiay is athletic, strong and quick.
Defensive Game – It is the defensive side of the ball where Mudiay’s game is a work in progress. He clearly has very little experience and much of that is against aging NBA veterans and non-NBA players.
NBA Potential – Mudiay has charted an unusual course in that he chose to play in China over the NCAA. He is rumored to go anywhere from 3-10 in the first round. Mudiay is intriguing in that he could be an unbelievable can’t miss player or a complete bust. The road less traveled through China creates a lot of uncertainty with Mudiay. General Managers have to be concerned by both overlooking Mudiay and completely missing on him.
NBA Player Comparison – Mudiay is most like Russell Westbrook.
NBA Readiness – Mudiay is likely a project at this point. Despite the issues with one-and-done players in the NCAA, at least those players played against the best talents for one year. Mudiay does not have the usual benchmarks for the evaluating teams. Mudiay may be a future trend for top players. Also, the fact that Mudiay felt mature enough to play in China at his age may also be an indication of his maturity.
