Tounde Yessoufou, 6'5, 215, SG, Baylor, Fr.

• Comp: Elgin Baylor / Victor Oladipo / Jimmy Butler

• Ceiling: Hall of Fame

• Floor: Out of League

• ALL-TIME scoring leader in California high school basketball history

• The best athlete in the draft

• He's an amazing defender

• Maybe the highest motor in the draft

• Uses his physical abilities very well in transition and on defense

• Is working on developing his game around his physical abilities

• Has already shown great promise as a scorer

• Extremely good rebounder for his size

• He is already extremely smooth; he just needs to smooth off his edges a little bit

• Needs to work on his playmaking

• Absolutely needs to get his turnovers down

• Becoming more efficient of a scorer will be a key to his development

• Expectation: Borderline ALL-NBA; If he continues to smooth out the rough patches in his game, he could be one of the premier two-way wings in the NBA.

Super-athlete who has the potential to be a top 5 pick. A strong frame, high motor, and slashing ability give him the potential to be a 3-level scorer at the NBA level, as long as his jumper develops.

NBA Comp: Oladipo, Lu Dort

better drake powell

i buy the future of the shot but its not there yet

great hounding defender

great transition athlete and finisher

comp aaron gordon?

Defensive, hustle guard

Iman Shumpert

Not a player you’d describe as ‘high feel’. He’s much more effective playing with the offense and doing the little things - using his athleticism to defend tight, grab boards and make defensive plays. However, his awareness on both ends is lacking. I think he’s driven to score, but he doesn’t have the handle or shot to complete that just yet. Quite out of control on his drives, just had a lot of improvement to make. However, when he scales back, he is an effective player with upside potential.

Athletic defensive guard

• All-Defensive ceiling - disruptive both on and off ball and a great rebounder for his size

• High-level motor

• Strong, powerful build and an explosive athlete

• Excellent slasher, driver and inside scorer; unphased by contact at the rim

• Solid mid-range and outside shooter, with the ceiling to improve

WEAKNESSES

• Still inconsistent from three

• Struggles to create off the dribble

• Height limits his overall ceiling as a SF & quickness limits his ceiling as a SG at the NBA level

PLAYS LIKE: Fusion of Lu Dort & Bennedict Mathurin

RANGE: Early/Mid Lottery

Year: Freshman

2025–26 Season Stats: 12 G, 19.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 2.2 apg, 51% FG, 31% 3P

Yessoufou is a very physically gifted wing with great scoring ability and defensive upside. Yessoufou was a five-star recruit out of high school, and he has lived up to that prestige so far in his freshman year at Baylor. He is a very powerful and efficient scorer inside the arc, and he is relentless in driving to the rim. Has one of the best motors in the class, and really shows it on the defensive boards and on the defensive side of the basketball. His defensive versatility is a big plus as well, with the ability to guard 2–4 great, and switch onto 1s and 5s with not much hassle. Some of the bigger concerns with his game, however, come from outside the arc. He is a very inconsistent outside shooter who has shown flashes of hitting tough shots on the perimeter, but really can also go cold sometimes as well. Also, when driving to the rim and creating for himself off the dribble, he tends to lean on his physical superiority and frame, and he will have to develop his skills as a creator more in the league. Tounde can also tend to have a bit of a reckless shot selection at times, and needs to improve that, along with some of his passing skills.

Early Player Comp: OG Anunoby

Best Team Fits: Hornets, Pacers, Trail Blazers

Pros: Great Hustle High Motor Good Rebounding for a guard Good Defender If jumper develops, one of the most valued archetypes

Cons: Streaky Shooter Doesn't get Many points outside of the paint Lower Ceiling than other prospects

Pro Comp: Herb Jones, Josh Hart

Ceiling: Starter on a championship team Floor: Bench warmer, energy guy

Best Team Fits: Jazz, Trailblazers, Bucks, Clippers Calling Card: Hustle, Finishing

VJ Edgecombe-esque (easiest but pretty correct comparison).

Totally unafraid at the rim, has great athleticism and seems to be be able to almost contort himself around defences and get to the cup. Is strong for his size too, so will body his way into better positioning if able.

Seems less willing to take the outside shot, but can still hit it with pretty decent form. Seems a little inconsistent, especially at release, in terms of follow-through and the extension of the arms. Might add variance to his shot, which is reflected in the roughly 32/33% clip on the season.

He'd probably look to push the rim over settling for a catch and shoot 3, but will definitely take an off-the-dribble jumper from 3 or mid-range if its there.

Defensively, his IQ for lane steals looks great. Takes the right gamble most of the time. Blocks are well-timed and he seems to be able to get there cleanly. Less able to sit in the chair and lock someone up, but still okay and can recover well.

Playmaking is more play-based than self-created, but knows where to look when double-teamed and can send a nice over-the-top pass to centers.