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What's the story?
Despite being one of the breakout stars of the 2019 NCAA Tournament, many had written off Tacko Fall's chances of being picked in the 2019 NBA Draft. However, Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report is reporting that Fall impressed during the NBA Combine, and the 23-year-old is now expected to be a late second-round pick:
From Day 1 of the G League Elite Camp, Tacko Fall quickly became a draw in the gym, even through a few clumsy sequences during scrimmages.
Teams wound up voting him into the NBA combine, which only helped increase his visibility and create more buzz. Fall made Neemias Queta (7'0¼", 7'4¼" wingspan) look small Thursday. He dropped in layups above the rim without jumping and blocked shots using his palms.
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Scouts came away relatively encouraged about his mobility, talking about Fall as a "why not" option for teams drafting in the late 40s or 50s.
In case you didn't know...
Fall spent four years playing college basketball with the UCF Knights, and he has been noted for his 8 ft 4 in armspan and 10 ft 5 in standing reach. The 7 ft 6 in center averaged 11.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game during his senior season at UCF, and he earned plenty of plaudits for his March Madness performance against Duke.
Despite facing off against Zion Williamson, Fall recorded 15 points and six rebounds -- almost helping UCF pull off one of the biggest shocks in college basketball history.
The heart of the matter
Fall still needs to make a number of improvements to his game, although it appears that NBA teams are intrigued by his size.
NBA executives are aware that Fall may never develop into an NBA caliber player, however, it seems as though there will be no shortage of teams willing to risk a second round pick.
What's next?
The 2019 NBA Draft will be held at Barclays Center on June 20th. The New Orleans Pelicans will pick first, followed by Memphis Grizzlies and New York Knicks.
