Don’t know a whole lot yet about 19-year-old New Orleans rookie Cheick Diallo? That puts you in similar company with Kansas Jayhawks fans, who only saw glimpses of the 6-foot-9 forward during his one season on campus. To gain more insight into Diallo’s background and traits on and off the court, we caught up with Matt Tait, KUsports.com editor at the Lawrence Journal-World in Lawrence, Kansas. In this Q&A with Pelicans.com, Tait explains why Diallo received such limited playing time and provides extensive insight into the type of player and person New Orleans acquired in the second round on draft night.
Q: We met Cheick for the first time on draft night under unusual circumstances, with him finding out he'd been traded by the Clippers – he was wearing a Los Angeles draft hat – to the Pelicans. He was also disappointed that did not get selected in the first round, instead falling to 33. Was it a surprise to you or fans in Kansas that he wasn't a first-round pick?
A: Diallo performed so well and seemed to turn so many heads during the NBA combine in May that I think most people believed he had done enough to cement himself in the first round. But, as late as the afternoon of the draft, I started to hear that he was not a lock to be a first-round pick so the fall didn't surprise me that much, especially when you consider he was taken three picks into the second round. As for the fan reaction, I don't think the KU fan base ever got that great of a feel for what Diallo was as a player and, because of that, I don't think anything surprised them about him. There was a lot of grumbling most of the season from frustrated fans who didn't understand why Bill Self didn't play him more, but all you had to do was watch him on the floor to see why Self chose experience over Diallo most of the season. His effort was never a question but he often struggled to execute basic offensive sets and could be disruptive to KU's flow.
Q: He missed the early part of his one college season while being cleared academically due to issues with his high school. How much did getting a late start as a freshman negatively affect his season individually and the impact or role he had with the Jayhawks?
A: To put it bluntly, that buried him. With the proper time to work out some of the kinks against some of the lesser competition KU played, Diallo certainly could have turned himself into a player whom Self could rely on in a rotation role. But the eligibility issues cost him that opportunity and by the time he was cleared, he was playing major catch up. From there, the Big 12 season quickly arrived and if there's one thing Self has shown over and over during his time at Kansas it's that he's only going to play guys he trusts when it comes down to the conference schedule. Self always liked Diallo and often sang his praises about how hard he worked, how willing he was to learn and how good he was about not being a distraction. He just couldn't play him because others were so far ahead of him because of their years in the program and overall basketball IQs.
Q: What were some of his biggest on-court strengths you saw him display in his limited action, things that might translate to him being successful as an NBA player?
A: He's fearless. And he has the potential to be a tenacious defender. I really think that the opportunity to learn from and battle with Anthony Davis is going to be so good for Diallo's game. Obviously, he'll never become the player that Davis is, but if he can learn the ropes from him and sort of absorb some of those things that Davis does that make him one of the top talents in the league, I think Diallo can be a solid pro eventually. He isn't likely to be the kind of guy coaches will run things for on the offensive end, but he doesn't need that to score. He has a decent jump shot and loves to work on the glass and get those sort of "garbage" buckets and steal possessions. On defense, he loves when opponents challenge him, both at the rim and in the mid-range game, and he's got great energy and an infectious personality that fans will quickly fall in love with — if he's playing, of course.
Q: What are some of the areas where he likely needs to make noteworthy improvements in order to develop as a player and potentially become a consistent contributor as a pro?
A: Mostly just feel. He has everything you'd want in terms of the raw physical tools to be a good player. He just doesn't quite know how to use them yet and, furthermore, still does way too much thinking out there. There were times during his one season at Kansas when it did not even look like Diallo was having fun on the floor. That was crazy to see because, in the locker room, he was one of the most fun guys to be around. He liked to laugh, goof around, crack jokes and make teammates laugh and was always a terrific interview because he would be very honest and candid with his comments and had no problem elaborating on his point. He was never one of those one-word answer guys. So we know he loves the game and desperately wants to be good. He just needs more reps to get to the point where the feel for the game matches his physical tools. Most KU fans were shocked he went pro after one year, but this very point is the reason I think he did. With limits on how much he can work with coaches and, of course, his limited minutes on game nights, Diallo was not getting nearly enough time on the floor to improve that feel. In the NBA, with basketball now being his job and nothing else getting in the way of his opportunity to work on his game, I think he'll make some pretty big strides pretty quickly. He can work on his game — and body — morning, noon and night, even if he’s the last man on the Pelicans' bench or plays in the D-League. Either of those, if you ask me, is the path to quicker development.
Q: What's one thing fans might be surprised to know about Diallo?
A: I think it's easy for fans to look at how little Diallo played at KU and assume that it's because he didn't earn it or wasn't ready. But that's not the case at all. Self said in November that Diallo was one of the better role models for a team that he has had in his time at Kansas because he showed the rest of the group — both on the basketball court and in the classroom — what it really looked like to work. I think the idea there was this: If a guy who is barely playing is going to put in that kind of effort and work, the others should be willing and able to, as well. That fact, to me, further illustrates that when Diallo does get that feel for the game part down, and as long as he continues to develop, he could wind up being an absolute steal at pick No. 33.
Q: Pelicans GM Dell Demps spoke very positively on draft night about Diallo's personality, saying the team's front office was impressed by the interview they did with him at the Chicago combine. What are your impressions of Diallo as a person?
A: Terrific kid, very easy to get along with, lots of fun to be around and very genuine. I'm not sure you can say many more nice things about one player, and, although we did not get a ton of time around him while he was at Kansas, all of those things came shining through loud and clear, from the minute we first talked to him in Maui after he finally learned he was cleared through the NCAA Tournament when he sat back and enjoyed the ride with his teammates despite barely playing. I'll never forget the answers he gave when I asked him about playing in his first NCAA Tournament game — a win over UConn in the second round — last March. It's much more hilarious if you imagine it being said in Diallo's broken English and Mali, African accent: “I was so scared the first time I saw NCAA Tournament game on TV,” Diallo said. “I was like, ‘Wow. That game was hard.’ But by the time I played today, I was like, ‘That’s an easy game.’ That’s how I was feeling. Today I was so excited. Even now I’m like, ‘Wow. I got nine points in NCAA Tournament.’ I was so happy.” That pretty much sums him up perfectly.