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24 - Alpha Kaba

6-10, 235 Power Forward
France International
Birthday
09/21/96 (27.5 yrs)
Hometown
Blois, France
International Team
Mega Leks
Team Site Profile
Statistics
Athleticism
8
Size
9
Defense
8
Strength
8
Quickness
7
Leadership
7
Jump Shot
7
NBA Ready
7
Rebounding
8
Potential
8
Post Skills
6
Intangibles
6
89 Overall:

NBA Comparison: Adreian Payne/Soloman Jones

Strengths: He has an amazing wingspan (measured at 7-foot-5 and an elite standing reach, measured at almost 9-3 feet!) … Versatile player who can play either as a power forward or a center … Physical profile has improved through the years … Above avergage athlete … He can run the floor extremely well and has great mobility … Plays with a lot of energy and passion … Solid first step … Good leaper off two feet … Sets good, strong screens on and off the ball … Very good in Pick and Roll situations as the screener, rolls fast and hard to the basket after he sets a screen … Likes to finish strong at the rim with impressive dunks … Has good hands and can catch passes through traffic and on the move … Not afraid of contact … Draws a lot of fouls thanks to his physicality … Plays inside the system and accepts his role … Posseses a nice looking shooting stroke … Improving shooter, with range going all the way to the 3-point line … Good on Catch and shoot situations … He has been used a lot on Pick and Pop situations with encouraging results … Can attack closeouts and drive to the basket, mostly on straight lines … Rarely plays with his back to the basket, but he has developed a nice right hook shot … Willing passer … Can see the floor and has shown potential as a passer in high-low situations … Ball handling has improved and he can even start an occasional fast break … Great rebounder on both ends of the floor … Relentless on the offensive glass, puts a lot of pressure on the opposing team… Rebounding ability is probably his most translatable skill at the next level … His length and good jumping ability make him a good shot blocker, who has to be respected by his opponents … Has active hands on defense, making a lot of steals, even while defending in the post … His lateral quickness is pretty good, which helps him stay in front of perimeter players when he has a good low stance … Defends the Pick and Roll at a very good level … Good weakside defender, can cover a lot of ground with his long strides … His length helps him fill the lanes defensively and disturb opposing offense …

Weaknesses: Although he is a good athlete, there are times his feet look a little stiff and slow …  He lacks elite explosiveness … He looks like he isn’t always 100% intense and focused, with too much of a laid back attitude … His reactions on both ends of the floor are a little slow, which could hurt him at the next level … He might be projected as a power forward, but he has been used almost exclusively as a center the last couple of years … His offensive game needs polishing, since he remains a little bit raw and depends too much on his physical attributes … Has some problems finishing against length … He is an incosistent shooter from long range … His footwork in the post is mediorce … His back to the basket game needs a lot of work … He can’t really play physical for now on offense, which makes him too predictable … His face up game is just average … He seems to prefer to play facing the basket rather than with his back to it, which can be a problem because he won’t be able to exploit miss-matches … Improving ball handler, but still not good enough for a power forward … Has good passing instincts, but his passes don’t always connect, because he often telegraphs them … It remains a question mark whether he will be able to follow Stretch-4s on the perimeter despite his great lateral quickness … Not always as commited as he should be on defensive rotations … At times he doesn’t have a good low stance on defense, which makes it easy for opponents to get past him … Not as a good rim protector as you would expect for a player with his physical attributes and skillset … Gambles a lot on defense, going for the steal, which adds presure to his team … Post defense is average and can be exploited by experienced and skillfull Bigs … Can get pushed around at times by bigger opponents …

Overall: Altough raw, Alpha Kaba has an interesting skillset and a good upside. His length and athletic ability make him interesting. His motor and rebounding ability are undeniable. If he manages to become a consistent shooter and improve his level of concentration, then he could be a good role player …

Stefanos Makris 5/5/17

Strengths: As a 6-10 PF, Kaba has perfect size for the role, with solid frame, broad shoulders and a huge wingspan (7-5) … He shows impressive mobility and a blue collar attitude, an encouraging signal he could be a good role player overseas. He’s a solid leaper and developed from a physical standpoint … He’s developing his midrange game … He’s a reliable shooter in catch and shoot situations, showing quick and smooth release … Nice handle, with improving first step, a weapon he can use when guarded by traditional big men … An above average passer for his size, he shows solid off the ball game, being effective also in P&R situations on both sides of the court … With his leaping ability and wingspan he’s a solid intimidator and shot blocker, he grants defensive flexibility thanks to his mobility and lateral speed, able to guard the backcourt player after the switch in P&R …

Weaknesses: Not the most fluid player, legs are a bit stiff … Seems to prefer to drift out on the perimeter instead of using his size and strength around the basket … He improved his shape over this year, but he absolutely needs to work on his consistency and intensity. .. He’s a decent leaper, but lacks explosiveness and the “second jump” on defensive end … He has to improve his positioning, seems to lack game comprehension, probably due to the lack of experience at a high level … Lacks solid post moves, in order to properly utilize his physical and muscular advantage, he prefers to play facing the basket exploiting only his mobility … Overall impression is of a player currently relying on his physical attributes and instincts, raw potential still to be developed and nurtured in the proper environment … He has to show more competitive fire and aggressiveness to improve and compete at a higher level …

Notes: He played the 2014-2015 season for Pau-Lacq-Orthez Espoirs (Juniors) team, then he moved this summer to Mega Leks in Adriatic league, thanks to the solid connections of his agent (Pedja Materic) with Misko Raznatovic, agent and owner of Mega … He had 8 points and 6 rebounds this season in ABA league … Former member of U18 and U20 French national teams …

Davide Bortoluzzi 6/7/16

Strengths: Has a solid frame … Extremely long limbs. 7-foot-5 wingspan … His length gives him the ability to be a dominant force on the block … Good mobility, gets out on the break and moves well … Good athlete with explosive leaping ability … Has a decent first step … Has a soft touch and can even knock down 3 pointers … Has good foot speed defensively, and shows nice defensive potential, particularly as a shot blocker … Shows vision to see the floor and some natural passing ability, impressive for his position … Can handle contact, and should only improve with added strength …

Weaknesses: Very inconsistent … Needs to get in better physical shape and gain stamina … Lacks a high level of experience, still plays in a junior, under-21 league … Doesn’t always play with enough intensity defensively … Not aggressive enough in closing out and pressuring opponent shots … From time to time too relaxed, especially in defense, Doesn’t protect the rim as much as he could … Can be too casual with his passing … Back to the basket game is underdeveloped, needs to focus a lot of attention to this … At times lacks a fundamental defensive stance, straight legs and up right posture … Rebounds the ball solely based on physical attributes, must learn to properly box out …

Aran Smith 5/28/15

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