The least experienced player the Denver Nuggets received in the four-team blockbuster trade this week is Keita Bates-Diop, a second-round pick back in the 2018 draft who has tried to carve out a role on the Minnesota Timberwolves over the past two seasons.
Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at the forward and how his game may fit with the Nuggets.
Background on Bates-Diop
As mentioned above, Bates-Diop fell to the second-round (pick 48) in the 2018 draft despite impressing with a standout final season at Ohio State University. In his senior season, Bates-Diop averaged 19.8 points and 8.7 rebounds per game in 33.1 minutes of action, as he showcased his play on both ends of the floor.
Even though most draft projections had the forward being drafted late in the first round or early in the second round, Bates-Diop had to wait over four hours before hearing his name called on draft night. Now 24, Bates-Diop has struggled to standout in his first two seasons in the league.
Bates-Diop is still finding a role offensively
A lot of Bates-Diop’s potential on the offensive end will come down to his ability to knockdown 3-pointers to space the floor as a support player. The results throughout college and his first two seasons in the NBA are mixed on that front. Over his four collegiate seasons, Bates-Diop connected on 35.2 percent of his 3-pointers (on 349 total attempts). In the NBA, he has shot 30.1 percent on 146 attempts.
However, the trajectory is certainly positive, as this season the sophomore forward has increased his volume (5.2 attempts per-36 minutes) and percentage (33 percent), while he has been a strong 42.1 percent shooter from the corners, where 40.4 percent of his 3-point attempts have come from.
If Bates-Diop continues to be a knockdown shooter from the corners, he can help space the floor for Denver’s guards to attack the basket. It also helps that Bates-Diop has a modern shot chart focused on shots around the rim or from beyond the arc, thus providing more spacing for Denver’s offense.
Although he doesn’t provide much in the way of offensive rebounding or passing, he has been an adept finisher around the basket throughout his first 67 games in the NBA. This season, Bates-Diop has shot 64.4 percent from within three feet of the rim, but that is actually a dip from the 73.5 percent he shot around the hoop last season. Given the plethora of playmaking in Denver’s rotation, Bates-Diop has the potential to fit in as a corner 3-point shooter and play finisher around the rim as he continues to iron out his offensive game.
Length and versatility on defense
Any discussion regarding Bates-Diop on the defensive end must start with his 7’3” wingspan, which he can use to disrupt the passing lanes or contest shots from all areas of the floor. There have been several occasions this season in which Bates-Diop has denied a shot he had no business blocking due to his positioning on the court and where the offensive player was, but his length and leaping ability certainly provide intrigue for his potential on the defensive end.
In the video below, Bates-Diop has two incredibly impressive blocks on Bogdan Bogdanovic of the Sacramento Kings and Eric Gordon of the Houston Rockets. In both plays, the former second-round pick isn’t in ideal position to contest the shot due to a screen or a fast-break situation, but that didn’t stop him from swatting the shot back.
For a forward, Bates-Diop is a solid shot-blocker and is capable of generating steals and enough disruption in the passing lanes to bother offenses. Denver hasn’t always had a forward with a crazy combination of height and wingspan to make things difficult for opposing wings, so Bates-Diop could look to become a situational defender for the Nuggets.
It should also be noted that Bates-Diop has consistently been a solid rebounder throughout his brief NBA career. With a career average of six rebounds per-36 minutes, Bates-Diop can hold his own on the boards. In his rookie campaign, the 48th overall pick in the 2018 draft was above the 76th percentile in both offensive and defensive rebound percentage.