Let me just preface by saying I know its only summer league but dude has more than proven himself. through 3 games he’s averaging 16.3/10/3.7 on extremely efficient shooting splits and pretty solid defense although not extremely switchable and bites on up-fakes a lot. But as far as 3rd bigs go this guy would be nice in any rotation, someone of his age that athletic who can rebound, shoot, and protect the rim isn’t very common for bigs you typically see at the end of rotations. I might do a more in depth analysis after Summer League is over but I want this dude to get signed by us so bad.
Mfiondu Kabengele
The Brooklyn Nets select with the 27th Pick of the 2019 Draft, Mfiondu Kabengele from Florida State University. The pick was then traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. He is also Dikembe Mutumbo's Nephew!
Do you think Mfiondu Kabengele and Sam Houser are going to have a breakout year? Will they contribute not only in Regular games, but also when the Celtics are against great teams and in the Playoffs?
When it rains, it pours fellow Celtic fans! We are truly spoiled right now, as even our two-ways are great.
In terms of Win Shares, is at 0.9, Which is tied in the G League. He is doing most of that on the defensive end, where he is tied for 2ND in the league in defensive win shares.
In normal counting stats, he is 5th in the league in blocks and 2nd in offensive rebounds. The Maine Celtics are 1st in the league with a 7-1 record, with Kabengele starting every game. He is averaging 18 points and 10 rebounds a game.
The only thing approaching an improvement area is his mediocre 30% 3 pt shooting, but that is on an upward trend from his last two years in the NBA and his past G league shooting. He is clearly working on that part of his game and will continue improving.
After grinding as a borderline player for a few years, it is clear Kabengele is ready to make the leap to a rotational NBA player. The only thing preventing him from being a bigger piece on the NBA Celtics is our stacked roster!
Yikes. At least we got Terance Mann in that draft. The FO has made countless great moves the last couple of years and I can't expect absolute perfection, but things could've been pretty damn nice had we taken who we were expected to take at the time. Like, imagine having Keldon Johnson and MPJ as trade chips/core players to work with instead of drafting guys who are now in the fringes of the league. Guys who were widely projected to go wayyy after we drafted them.
EDIT: Minor clarification: Of course hindsight is 20/20 and different situations foster different results, you guys are absolutely correct. The biggest issues I had with the Robinson and Kabengele picks was that we took players that weren't even projected to go where we drafted them, when there were guys on the board who even during draft night, were projected to be much better prospects.
A hub for the hardcore NBA Draft enthusiast. The home of hype and hope. Where logical evaluation and substance generate discussion, rather than conventional stereotypes and uninspiring cliches. Analysis, articles, highlight videos, news & updates, information, rumors, interesting stats, podcasts, etc.
I haven't seen anything but highlights from this kid really, so looking for some insight. Measured 6'10" with a 7'3" wingspan and a 9'1.5" standing reach on a strong 256lb frame. Shot 37%3PT and 76%FT, looks to have nice touch on midrange and 3PT shots, seems somewhat comfortable putting the ball on the floor, runs the floor well, seems to get off the ground quickly with good functional athleticism.
Haven't really heard about him all year until the combine though, why?
Warriors fan here. So I was watching the Clippers summer league team and I really like what Kabengele can do. To me, he seems like a double-double type player with a 3ball and great rebounding. Besides this, what are his strengths and weaknesses, and do you think he will receive serious rotational minutes this year?
Honest question here, what was holding him back in the past? What are his weaknesses that led teams to not give him a shot in the past? He was a late first round pick, only 22, has a really intriguing skill set and put up really good numbers last year in the G-League. I've just had trouble finding analysis of him and hoping someone knows more specifics about his weaknesses?
Edit: he’s 24, turns 25 this August, not 22
So the Maine Celtics finished their season last night as they lost single elimination game against Cleveland Charge in the G-League playoffs. I went back, and traced some of the best plays by Celtics two-way players, rookie JD Davison and Mfiondu Kabengele, as they both had really solid seasons.
Kabengele was the force on the glass while JD showcased his nice playmaking skills (actually most of his lobs were to Kabengele!) as well as some hops while performing some fercious dunks.
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A hub for the hardcore NBA Draft enthusiast. The home of hype and hope. Where logical evaluation and substance generate discussion, rather than conventional stereotypes and uninspiring cliches. Analysis, articles, highlight videos, news & updates, information, rumors, interesting stats, podcasts, etc.
members