Milwaukee Bucks: Midseason Rookie Report and Grades

Mamadi Diakite

This is the official start of the campaign for Mamadi Diakite to be nicknamed “Mini Giannis.” Watching him play in the G-League, there are almost countless similarities in how he and Giannis play the game.

For starters, he’s a pretty skinny 6’9″ forward with a freakish 7’3″ wingspan and impressive athletic ability. He uses those physical gifts to block shots, throw down lobs, and score over opponents in the post. Sound familiar yet?

In the same way that Sam Merrill’s performance in the G-League wouldn’t have made it clear that he was an NBA draft pick, Diakite’s play has plenty of people asking, “How did this guy not get drafted?” He’s averaging 18.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game on 58.3 percent shooting from the field. Additionally, 2.8 of those 10.3 rebounds are coming on the offensive end as he hustles and crashes the glass.

Just like Giannis, he has multiple highlight plays every game, and the Lakeland Magic are using Diakite in a somewhat similar role that Giannis has played in his career. He’s been primarily a pick-and-roll screener and has enjoyed plenty of success in that realm, as well as some post touches each game. Also, in keeping with a pretty crazy trend, he’s exactly 50 percent from behind the arc, just like the other two Milwaukee Bucks’ rookies, going 7-for-14 so far this season.

At 24-years-old, Diakite probably needs to get to an NBA level pretty soon, but with the kinds of physical tools he has, he’ll have some extra room for error because once in a while, taking a chance on a guy like him ends up being a slam dunk.

His dominance in the G-League has been impressive and certainly gives lots of hope for the future, but I have to factor into my grade that he hasn’t played an NBA minute yet. His potential is sky-high, though, and he’s done everything the Milwaukee Bucks could have hoped for this season in the G-League bubble, and he can’t be knocked too much because he’s on a two-way contract, so any value there is a bonus.

Grade: B-

So what do you think of the Milwaukee Bucks’ rookies so far this season? Would you grade them differently? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter @DairylandXpress.