I can evaluate Adama Sanogo as a player and say that I love what he does, while also struggle with where I think he would land. I thought he showed so much promise at UConn from an offensive standpoint. He made his layups at a 75% clip, which is an unbelievable percentage for any player. He was very effective as an interior presence, having excellent footwork to post players up with his bigger frame and shoot over the top of guys with his 7'3" wingspan. He had a preference of getting to his right handed hook shot, and his ability to be physical as a post-up player and score on either block would seem to make him an effective inside scorer at the next level. You would think that the wingspan would be extremely effective for him from a rim protecting and rebounding standpoint, but I did not think he used it to his advantage enough. His counting stats of 0.8 blocks and 0.7 steals per game are not fantastic, but I did think his ability to wall off bigger finishers, be mobile on the perimeter and play help side was enough for me to think he'll have a major defensive impact at the next level. His rebounding, again, was just fine, but probably not good enough as a center, which is what I project him to be. Eight rebounds per game on a 21% defensive rebounding rate, along with his tape, tells me he needs to get after it a little more on that front. He played with heavy feet as a perimeter defender, and you can combine his smaller frame as a big at 6'8" and he could absolutely be played off of the floor in certain matchups. He should a little more floor-spacing potential this past season, shooting 37% from three, albeit on low volume (only 52 attempts). A majority of those attempts came in pick-and-pop situations, and those are situations that should allow make him a very respected offensive player. Combine that with his ability to pass out of the post at a decent rate and put the ball on the floor in spurts, and that might be his calling card. Adama Sanogo may not necessarily carve out a humongous role as a starter, but I thought that with him being as much of a winner as he is and his ability to contribute to winning situations are valuable. With floor-spacing potential and intriguing physical tools, he is absolutely worth taking in the second round for any team that needs his size.
Player Comparison: Shades of Isaiah Stewart and Paul Millsap
Projected Draft Position: Pick 45-Priority UDFA
Best Fits: Oklahoma City Thunder, Chicago Bulls, Phoenix Suns
