The 2019 NBA Draft will be a great event for teams to start building for their future. The Game Haus will be doing scouting reports on some of the top prospects in the 2019 NBA Draft. Florida State forward Mfiondu Kabengele has been one of the biggest risers on draft boards over the last few months.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiCfQ7EWTSg

Background

Position: Forward

Class: Redshirt Sophomore

2018-2019 stats: 13.2 points per game, 5.9 rebounds per game, 0.3 assists per game, 0.6 steals per game, 1.5 blocks per game, 50.2% field goal, 36.9% 3 point

Size: 6-foot-10, 250 pounds

The nephew of Dikembe Mutombo, Kabengele has a much more well-rounded game than his uncle. Because of that, and the fact that he is still relatively big at 6-foot-10 and 250 pounds, Kabengele will be selected in the 2019 NBA Draft.

He was a three-star prospect, but needed a post-graduate year before entering college. Kabengele chose Florida State for his college choice and redshirted his first year on campus. As a redshirt freshman, Kabengele averaged 7.2 points per game and helped lead the Seminoles to an Elite Eight from the bench. Although he was one of their better players, Kabengele continued to come off the bench as a redshirt sophomore. He averaged 13.2 points per game and helped Florida State reach the Sweet 16.

Kabengele is different from most prospects, as he did not start one game of college basketball before entering his name in the 2019 NBA Draft. The impressive part for Kabengele is that he is still projected to be selected in the middle of the first round.

Strengths

In terms of points per minute played, Kabengele is one of the best in the class. He averaged 13.2 points per game in just 21.4 minutes per game. This helps show that Kabengele could be comfortable with coming off the bench and maximizing his minutes played. It also helps demonstrate his ability to play hard when given the opportunity.

Kabengele can score on all three levels, making him a tough matchup problem. He can get to the basket and post up. His ability to hit mid-range jump shots has helped him score a lot of points at Florida State. He also shoots threes at a good clip, even if he didn’t take a lot of them in his college career. It will be hard for opponents to find a player to defend Kabengele on the perimeter and in the paint.

His body is NBA-ready. At 6-foot-10 and 250 pounds, Kabengele will be able to battle down low with his competition. He also has some ability to make it out to the perimeter if needed. His strength and length not only help him get rebounds, but also help him protect the rim.

Weaknesses

Florida State likes inserting a lot of players into the game and Kabengele was on a good team. He wasn’t able to start a game in college. His experience isn’t great for a player who took a post-graduate year, then a redshirt year before playing two seasons of college basketball. While his tape is good, he still has a lot to prove on a basketball court.

While he can score in the post, he needs to add more moves to his game. He didn’t have to develop many post moves in college because he used his versatility well and overpowered defenders down low. The NBA will be a different story. If he can add a few more post moves, Kabengele will be even harder to guard.

Kabengele needs to take care of the ball better and distribute to his teammates more. He turned the ball over 1.3 times per game, which isn’t that bad, but it is a bit deflated since he only played half of the game at Florida State. His 0.3 assists per game show that he isn’t the greatest passer and will need to work on that to avoid double-teams.

Projected Draft Range: Mid-First Round Pick

You can like The Game Haus on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from great TGH writers!