Aside from Kevin Knox, will Kentucky basketball lose any more players
By Drew Koch
Will Hamidou Diallo forego his sophomore year?
I don’t see a scenario in which Hamidou Diallo returns to play for UK next season. In fact, Diallo is probably kicking himself for his decision to come back to play this season. Hami took a calculated risk to come back to Kentucky and show NBA scouts what he can do. Now, 29 games into the season, those scouts have a decent idea of who Diallo is.
Diallo is an absolutely freak athlete. The young man can jump out of the gym, figuratively speaking of course. Diallo recorded the second-highest vertical jump at last year’s NBA Draft Combine. But beyond his superb athletic ability, Diallo has not shown a lot that pro scouts are looking for.
Up until last week’s game against Missouri, Diallo had been very inconsistent with his outside shooting. On the season, Hami is just under 33% from downtown. The three-point shot has become such a big part of the NBA game, Diallo is going to have to improve that part of his game if he wants to be successful at the next level.
Diallo was a late-first round projection last off-season, and I think he may be able to get back to that same level if he plays well down the stretch and balls out at the NBA Draft Combine. Diallo’s decision to come back, and where he ends up in the league may be predicated on who wants to take a chance on him.