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NBA Draft: Mamadi Diakite making the right decision in returning to Virginia

By Quinn Allen

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 06: Mamadi Diakite #25 of the Virginia Cavaliers reacts in the second half against the Auburn Tigers during the 2019 NCAA Final Four semifinal at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 6, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 06: Mamadi Diakite #25 of the Virginia Cavaliers reacts in the second half against the Auburn Tigers during the 2019 NCAA Final Four semifinal at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 6, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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Mamadi Diakite declared for the NBA Draft but after several workouts and meetings with organizations, he’s decided to return for his senior year at Virginia

After winning a national championship with the Virginia Cavaliers just a couple months ago, Mamadi Diakite announced that he would declare for the 2019 NBA draft. However, after failing to receive an invite to the NBA combine and only working out for a handful of teams, Diakite has decided to return to Virginia for his senior year, which could be a great decision for his development.

The Guinea native, who has only been playing basketball since the age of 14, didn’t have the type of season you would expect from a guy who was hoping to go high in the draft. the 6-foot-9 forward averaged just 7.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. However, his shot-blocking numbers were impressive, averaging 1.7 per contest.

Although he had a solid March Madness tournament, Diakite isn’t ready for the NBA quite yet. Give him another year at Virginia, where he will be one of their main guys and he could end up going quite high in next year’s draft.

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Why returning to Virginia is smart

The Cavaliers had four players declare for the NBA Draft after they won a national championship, including Diakite. Kyle Guy, Ty Jerome, and De’Andre Hunter, all the top scorers on last year’s squad, are heading to the NBA. This means there will also be a lot more touches available for Diakite next year as he will become one of the mainstays on this team.

In a day and age where bigs are able to shoot it from downtown, NBA scouts expect every player on the court to have the ability to shoot the ball from three-point range. Diakite struggles with this part of his game. If he can improve this, it’s going to be an added component to his game that will benefit him for next year’s draft.

Diakite only had 0.4 attempts from long-range this year for a 29.4 percent clip. Shooting isn’t one of his biggest strengths, but to have it in your back pocket when you need to drain a long two or a three outside the perimeter is only going to benefit him in the future.

He is a monster inside who has great length and throws down dunks with ease. His athleticism is outstanding in the paint and he usually outmuscles his opponents with a lean 6-foot-9, 230-pound frame. His long wingspan has also helped Diakite become one of the best shot-blockers in the nation.

Diakite just needs a little more seasoning at the college level and he will receive exactly that next season. He’ll be one of the main leaders of the Cavaliers as they look to defend their national championship.

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Another year could do serious wonders for Diakite’s game. He is definitely making the right decision in returning to Virginia for his final year because it’s really going to help his stock in the 2020 NBA draft.