Make no mistake: Zoom Diallo is a highly talented basketball player with the physical tools to be a star in the SEC. His commitment represents Kentucky's first big win in the portal this year, too. But some fans are worried: Did Mark Pope just sign Jaland Lowe 2.0?
Diallo has all the skills needed to be a super solid point guard. But if we take a deep look into his numbers, it reveals something we saw a lot of last year. Can Zoom actually get Kentucky into good offense, and can he make shots?
Not only is it important to recognize Diallo's differing strengths, but also the fact that he's three inches taller and 10 pounds heavier than Lowe. Statistics aside, those guys aren't going to put the ball on the hardwood the same.
Zoom Diallo is an Elite Pick-and-Roll Threat
To understand why Pope loves Diallo, just take a look at how he operates with the ball in his hands. Diallo is a ball-dominant combo guard who thrives in the half-court, although struggles to make open looks from distance. According to Synergy, Diallo ranked in the 92nd percentile in pick-and-roll ball handler usage and the 87th percentile in points per possession.
Even when defenders sag off him, Diallo has the body control and strength to get downhill, finish through contact at the rim, as well as to hit tough, contested midrange jumpers. He is a throwback to the 90's in that sense, and similar to fan-favorite floor general Lamont Butler.
He has a good floater and great pull-up jumper. In a vacuum, that ability to generate half-court offense is exactly what Kentucky missed last season.
Worrying Shooting Numbers
But basketball isn't played in a vacuum, and Pope's system absolutely requires a lead guard who can stretch the floor. In fact, pretty much any modern (winning) offense requires it to some degree. This is where the Jaland Lowe comparisons become hard to ignore.
Like Lowe, Diallo is a primary ball-handler who can't shoot at a consistent clip from the perimeter. Upon a closer look, Diallo shot an abysmal 18% from three as a freshman, going at one point multiple months without a make. Over the last 14 games of his first season, Diallo went without a three in half of them.
While he improved to 31% as a sophomore, he made just 23 of 73 attempts. To put that in perspective, departing forward Andrija Jelavic went 21 of 76 from deep last year in Lexington. When your starting point guard shoots like your paint-reliant power forward, SEC defenses are bound to pack the paint.
Defensive Concerns
At six-foot-four, Diallo has the size to bully smaller guards on offense, but he lacks the lateral quickness and length to stay in front of them on defense. He isn't going to rack up steals or blocks; he's simply servicable on the defensive end.
While he projects as a solid off-ball defender who can body up shooting guards, putting him on an island against the SEC's quickest point guards could dislodge the entire defense. Rotations could help with that, though, and Diallo has all the physical tools to improve on that side of the ball especially.
To that point, the upside is undoubtedly clear. If Diallo continues his upward trajectory and can stretch that 31% shooting clip closer to the 35-36 range, he has all the makings of a lethal weapon in Pope’s offense.
But you can't count on hope, a lesson we all learned last year. Diallo's development will ultimately determine his ability to lead Kentucky's offense to its intended promised land in Pope's third year. The worries are there, but so are the undeniable positives.
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