https://www.thestepien.com/2020/04/27/mamadi-diakite-scouting-report/

OFFENSE

Very good screener, having already developed advanced techniques to get teammates breathing room;
Nonetheless, converted 70.6% of his 344 shots at the rim in his four years at Virginia, with two thirds of his makes assisted[4];
Spaced out to the three-point line a little bit but not enough to project as a legit shooter in the near future;
Took just 11% of his live-ball attempts from three-point range, with the overwhelming majority of those shots (55 out of 83) coming in his final year;
Capable open shot shooter at this point of his development – nailed 36.4% of his 55 three-point shots this past season, though at a pace of just 2.2 such attempts per 40 minutes;
Gets quite a bit of elevation for someone his size, goes through fairly fluid mechanics and fully extends himself for a high release, consistently and comfortably getting his shot over most closeouts, though the touch seems questionable at times;
Besides spot-ups, took shots out of the pick-and-pop, relocating off roll-and-replace and even some ambitious attempts sprinting off pindown screens but hasn’t yet developed the footwork and the quickness in his releases for such looks;
Hit 72% of his 246 foul shots in his NCAA career, suggesting the basic mechanics and the touch are in place for him to be able to develop into more of a volume shooter in time;
Drives into crowds, struggled with his handle when needed to deal with a crowd between him and the basket and high dribble made him prone to having the ball stripped off him in traffic – averaging 2.6 turnovers per 40 minutes;
Not any sort of a passer on the move – assisted on just 5% of Virginia’s scores when he was on the floor this past season;
Didn’t show much of anything as a shot creator for others and struggled against double teams.

HELP DEFENSE

Exceled as a help defender in a system that demanded attention, awareness and commitment;
Averaged 2.2 blocks per 40 minutes in his 134 NCAA appearances;
Not quick enough or instinctual enough to make plays on the ball from the side clogging driving lanes, bat away passes to the roll man or jump passing lanes on the side of the floor regularly – averaging just 0.9 steals per 40 minutes in his time at Virginia;
So-so with his closeouts: sprints to the three-point line with urgency, at times managing to stay balanced and defend off the dribble, at others flying by to run the shooter off his shot and opening the gate to the middle of the defense behind him.

PICK&ROLL DEFENSE

On dropbacks: showed comfort extending coverage a couple of steps beyond the foul line and impressed with his agility and his nimbleness sliding laterally and backpedaling fluidly to prevent the ball handler from turning the corner right away off the pick;
Also on dropbacks: proved coordinated enough to keep pace with smaller players on straight line drives when they did manage to get downhill and flashed some quick leaping ability to block shots defending on the ball from time-to-time;
On hedges: showed very good technique with quick slides in one direction and widening his stance to influence ball handlers, cutting off their paths to keep the action one side of the floor and taking away space for them to set up quick long-range bombs;
Was not asked to pick up smaller players on switches much;
Is athletic enough to project as capable of holding his own against less threatening types on a straight line but unclear how well he’d do against smaller guards who can run him through a screen or shake side-to-side one-on-one out on an island

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Simanic stands 6-foot-11 and possesses very good size while boasting a nearly 7-foot-3 wingspan, good outside shooting and quickness. He can hit 3-pointers off the catch and also put the ball on the floor and finish above the rim effortlessly. He shows upper echelon basketball potential but needs to produce at a consistent level.

He has a high, fluid release with a good arc and is consistent and reliable from long distance. He sets up his pull-up jumper and driving offense off the left hand rhythm dribble. Shows flashes of brilliance but can disappear equally.

Defensive Analysis

Has the footwork and size to defend multiple positions, fitting well in the non-positional modern era of the NBA. He needs to add strength and gain some weight to his skinny frame to stand his ground in the block.

A good shot blocker thanks to his length. Has room to improve his rebounding skills, if he can become more active on the glass. Can improve defensively but Simanic has all of the tools.

Career Highlights

Helped Serbia win the silver medal at the 2013 FIBA U16 European Championships.
Playing with Crvena Zvezda (Red Star) was a 3-time Adriatic League champion (2016, 2017, 2019), Adriatic Supercup winner (2018) and 2-time Serbian League champion (2016,2017) and Serbian Cup winner (2017)
Won the 2016 Adidas Next Generation Tournament MVP while averaging 17.7 ppg, 3.3 apg and 3.7 bpg and made consecutive appearances in the tournament finals in 2015 and 2016.
At the FIBA 2018 U18 European Championships averaged 9.3 ppg and 4.7 rpg.

2019-20

Playing in 20 Euroleague games for Crvena Zvezda he averaged 4.0 ppg and 1.2 rpg in 12.3 mpg, finishing second in 3-point efficiency (51.6%, 16-for-31).
In 16 Adriatic League games with Crvena Zvezda, he averaged 5.9 ppg and 2.0 rpg while shooting 48.5% on 3-pointers.

Strengths

Mobile, fluid athlete who can easily play above the rim
Has the tools to defend multiple positions
A bottom-of-the-net shooter from outside
Has big potential as a stretch four and “pick-and-pop” weapon

****

Noticed both because of their footwork and general motor to start. Both need a lot of work but there's a decent foundation in place. I like Diakite better if one had to choose. Diakite could go very late 2nd to UDFA. Which would meaning buying a very late 2nd rounder possibly. Simanic likely goes UDFA no matter what. I think given the pandemic, these guys slip through the cracks. They have flaws for sure, but that's why they would be available in the first place. Both IMHO would make good G League projects.

Not looking for heroes, but guys who might offer back of the rotation value for very little cost.

Thoughts?