NBA Mock Draft 2.0: Narrowing down the picks after lottery, combine
By Phil Watson
At 6-foot-10 and 255 pounds, Mfiondu Kabengele is exactly the type of big body the Brooklyn Nets lacked last season.
That said, the Canadian prospect is very raw despite the fact he’ll turn 22 before training camp, playing two seasons at Florida State.
If he gets into the first round, he would join Nassir Little and Swen Nater as first-round picks who never started a game in college — Kabengele came off the bench in all 71 of his appearances for the Seminoles.
But he was productive, averaging 13.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in just 21.6 minutes per game, shooting 50.2 percent overall and a nice 36.9 percent on 1.8 3-point tries per game as a sophomore.
Kabengele is, however, very foul-prone, averaging 2.6 whistles against him in just 21.6 minutes a night. He will have to learn the finer points of moving the ball, as well, and there are some concerns about his knees — he moves a bit tentatively and wears large knee pads.
He’s a solid foul shooter, which further advances the case for Kabengele developing some ability to be a stretch big in the future.
But for a team desperately needing inside size, Kabengele would be a big get at No. 27 for the Nets.