Overview
Adama Sanogo grew up in Bamako, Mali, where he initially played soccer before switching to basketball in 2014. In 2015, he moved to the United States, first joining Our Savior New American High School in Centereach, New York. Later, he transferred to The Patrick School in Hillside, New Jersey. That’s where he finished high school while also playing in the AAU circuit for the New York Rens. He also won a gold medal at the 2017 FIBA Under-16 African Championship, averaging 10.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Sanogo was a four-star recruit and committed to playing college basketball at UConn. Sanogo got off to a quick start in college, starting the third game of his career and never looking back. He was named to the Big East All-Freshman Team. As a sophomore, he made the All-Big East 1st Team. During Sanogo’s senior season, UConn won the national championship, and he was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player and again landed on the All-Big East 1st Team. During the season, he averaged 17.2 points on 60.6% shooting, 7.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 26.6 minutes.
Analysis
Sanogo is shorter than a traditional big but has the bulk to make up for it, giving him the potential to be a small-ball five in the NBA. He’s proficient in the primary big-man actions, including post scoring. Encouragingly, he went 19-for-52 (36.5%) on 3-pointers last season and hit 76.6% of his free throws, so there appears to be floor-spacing upside, allowing him to play some power forward. He’s a good rebounder. Defensively, he’s a bit between positions, but he shouldn’t get bullied by centers. Staying quick on his feet against shifty fours may be an issue.
Projection
Sanogo shares similarities with Onyeka Okongwu (an undersized center), Deandre Ayton (good footwork and touch) and Gorgui Dieng (can space the floor and play some power forward). How big of a role he receives as a rookie may depend on how well his shooting translates and if he can cover perimeter-oriented frontcourt players. Sanogo settling into a career backup role seems well within reach.
— Profile by RotoWire