Yakhouba Diawara

Overview: A long and athletic defensive-minded wing. Possesses a great build for either wing position and very good athleticism. Has a strong frame and nice quickness. Born in France, but played junior college basketball at Southern Idaho and two additional seasons in the NCAA at Pepperdine. Had a tremendous junior year, but took a step back as a senior. Wasn’t drafted, and returned to France to begin his career. Moved to Italy in mid-season where he found a tremendous amount of success, particularly shooting the ball. Earned an NBA contract in summer league with Denver, and saw the most minutes of his NBA career as a rookie. Signed as a free agent with the Heat.

Offense: Inefficient offensive player who relies very heavily on his 3-point shooting, with limited success. Gets the vast majority of his offensive opportunities in spot up situations with another significant portion coming in transition. Displays a compact jumper that accounts for nearly all of his shots. Doesn’t have much fluidity in his perimeter shot. Can hit the open three on occasion, but struggles when he has a hand in his face. Will miss some looks extremely badly. Seldom puts the ball on the floor, as he is a limited ball-handler who cannot create his own shot. Doesn’t get to the line too often. Camps out on the perimeter, maintaining his spacing, and waiting for kick outs. An opportunistic finisher who can attack the rim in a straight line and won’t force anything into the teeth of the defense. Doesn’t turn the ball over much, but isn’t a good foul shooter for a wing. Not much of a passer, feel for the game in general appears to be limited. Purely a role player, but needs to become a much more consistent 3-point shooter to carve out a role for himself in the NBA.

Defense: A quality defender who displays a high effort level and outstanding physical tools. Does his best to contest shots and uses his length to get a hand up on shooters. Displays active hands when defending the ball. A solid one-on-one defender who goes out and competes. Loses his man from time to time when defending the weakside, getting turned around when not defending the ball. Often defends players with superior physical tools, but is able to competently defend a few positions and makes up for that deficit with constant hustle. Doesn’t create many turnovers, but plays a solid brand of defense.

French swingman Yakhouba Diawara is reportedly close to coming to terms with the Denver Nuggets on a two year guaranteed contract. Diawara is in Las Vegas at the moment playing with Nuggets' summer league team. In his last outing with Denver on Sunday, Diawara scored a game-high 19 points on 6-10 shooting in 25 minutes. Diawara last played for Climamio Bologna and had an outstanding showing in the Italian league playoffs.