NBA prospect Emmanuel Mudiay to play a year in China
One name to keep an eye on for the 2015 NBA draft is Emmanuel Mudiay. It is going to take some very good eye site though as he will be playing his first season of professional basketball in China according to multiple sources, including ESPN.
The Congolese-American Mudiay played high school basketball for Grace Preparatory Academy and Prime Prep Academy in Texas. It was a major coup for Southern Methodist University and coach Larry Brown when Mudiay committed to them, but eligibilty concerns have clouded the earlier optimism. Larry Brown was very gracious in his support of Mudiay when it was determined he wouldn't be playing for SMU after all.
Draft Express's Jonathan Givony had the following thorough scouting report of Mudiay prior to his senior year in high school:
Of course now Mudiay won't be learning under Larry Brown, due to Mudiay's eligibility concerns. Draft Express currently has Muudiay at number three on their 2015 NBA mock draft. You can check out William hill for current odds. Jahlil Okafor sits at number one and will be playing for Mike Krzyzewski at Duke University this upcoming season. Chicago's Cliff Alexander is listed at number two. Alexander will be playing at Kansas and will try and follow in the footsteps of one and done Jayhawks Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid.
Mudiay follows in the footsteps of another major prospect Brandon Jennings who played in Italy during the 2008-2009 season after high school. Jennings was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks and put up a strong rookie season. Jennings has lost a lot of shine as the years have passed. He still was able to get a pretty nice contract out of the Detroit Pistons last Summer.
Point guard Emmanuel Mudiay will play in China during the upcoming season, a source told ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman, confirming reports from multiple media outlets.
Mudiay, who had committed to play at SMU over Kentucky and Kansas, will instead sign a one-year deal worth more than $1 million.
"He'll be able to athletically overwhelm other players in China, but the key with him will be socially," a coach who was previously in China told ESPN.com. "That won't be easy."
The Congolese-American Mudiay played high school basketball for Grace Preparatory Academy and Prime Prep Academy in Texas. It was a major coup for Southern Methodist University and coach Larry Brown when Mudiay committed to them, but eligibilty concerns have clouded the earlier optimism. Larry Brown was very gracious in his support of Mudiay when it was determined he wouldn't be playing for SMU after all.
Draft Express's Jonathan Givony had the following thorough scouting report of Mudiay prior to his senior year in high school:
Strengths:
-Possesses phenomenal physical tools. Has great size for position to go along with a chiseled frame
-Excellent athlete
-Phenomenal in open court
-Strong ball-handler. Can get to the basket thanks to his powerful first step and excellent strength. Finishes with authority
-Draws tons of fouls. Gets to the free throw line at a great rate
-Can find open man. Likes to get others involved. Shows great flashes of court vision at times
-Has tremendous potential defensively
-Outstanding rebounder for position
Weaknesses
-Lacks polish offensively, as both a facilitator and scorer
-Limited outside shooter. Made just 6/41 3-point attempts in 13 Nike EYBL games this spring
-Needs to work on shooting mechanics. Shoots the ball on the way down. Needs time and space to get shot off
-Much better in open floor than half-court game. Playmaking, decision making still a work in progress. Not consistent with his approach. Plays in spurts at times. Has a tendency to overdribble. Doesn't always read the floor, particularly on the pick and roll. Sometimes forces issue unnecessarily. Relies too much on physical tools
-Extremely turnover prone. Ranked #1 in the EYBL in turnovers. AAU team lost more games than they won when he played
Outlook: Incredibly gifted athlete with terrific upside. Has quite a few holes in his game and needs plenty of work on his skill-level, but looks to be in a good place to improve at SMU under Larry Brown.
Of course now Mudiay won't be learning under Larry Brown, due to Mudiay's eligibility concerns. Draft Express currently has Muudiay at number three on their 2015 NBA mock draft. You can check out William hill for current odds. Jahlil Okafor sits at number one and will be playing for Mike Krzyzewski at Duke University this upcoming season. Chicago's Cliff Alexander is listed at number two. Alexander will be playing at Kansas and will try and follow in the footsteps of one and done Jayhawks Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid.
Mudiay follows in the footsteps of another major prospect Brandon Jennings who played in Italy during the 2008-2009 season after high school. Jennings was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks and put up a strong rookie season. Jennings has lost a lot of shine as the years have passed. He still was able to get a pretty nice contract out of the Detroit Pistons last Summer.
