Offense: Mudiay is a versatile point guard who excels in the pick-and-roll and the post. "He's a big, strong guy that can take advantage of mismatches," said his trainer, Joe Abunassar, who's been working with him for the past two months in Los Angeles. "What makes him so good is that the stuff he does translates very well to the NBA. I think he probably will be a better NBA player than he would've been in college."

Whereas many young point guards tend to play too fast, Abunassar said Mudiay has a knack for timing and creativity off the dribble with his crossover, pull-up jumpers and hesitation moves to get to the basket. Those traits, along with his speed, enable him to be effective in transition and the half court. "His high basketball IQ has always been really impressive to me," said a scout with the Chinese Basketball Association, where Mudiay played this season. "He has a very good vision that's more mature than his age."

Defense: It's a work in progress, with signs of upside. "We've been working on defending pick-and-rolls and pressing up on guys," Abunassar said. "I think his lateral speed is outstanding, and has ability to change directions."

Improvements: For one, Mudiay's jump shot. "A Spurs scout thought that he had a very good form, but he just needed to work on being more consistent," the CBA scout said. "Everyone says it's lack of practice." Abunassar said that's been a key focus in training, and Mudiay has improved. "He has elite range and mechanics," he said. In addition, Mudiay needs to be a bit more efficient with his mid-range game. "He likes to attack the basket every time, and he can probably stand to pull up more," the CBA scout said. "If he wants to have longevity in his career, he has to choose when to attack wisely."

Intangibles: Mudiay, who can speak French, understands how to adjust to new cultures. He went from being born in the Congo to living in the states for high school and then heading to China to play professionally. Even though he sprained his ankle there and missed most of the season—he's been healed for a few months—he stuck out his contract and put in the rehab and shooting work. "One of my clients is Yi Jianlian, and he played with Emmanuel in China," Abunassar said. "The first thing he said to me about Emmanuel was, 'He's a good kid and a hard worker and a really good player.'"

Questions: Due to the injury, Mudiay only played about 10 games. "It's sort of like a Kyrie Irving [when he was at Duke], who played a few number of games," said longtime NBA scout and consultant Chris Ekstrand. "He has a very small sample size of high-level basketball." Only the Lakers, Pelicans, Sixers, Spurs and Timberwolves saw Mudiay play briefly in person in China.

Comparisons: Mudiay has been likened to John Wall. Abunassar had a more specific comparison: the size and point guard skills similar to Chauncey Billups, with the athleticism and scoring mentality of Baron Davis. "He's a big guard, great vision, athletic," an East general manager said. "I think he's going to be a really special player."