A quick peek at one of the most fascinating players in the 2019 NBA Draft – and whether or not the Atlanta Hawks should select him in the second round.
Anyone who watched Duke’s run through the 2019 NCAA Tournament got to see just how impactful hulking big man Tacko Fall is on defense.
The former UCF center gave even the most talented player in college basketball, Zion Williamson, fits in the second round of the tournament – so much so that the UCF Knights almost defeated the Blue Devils on the back of Fall’s immense size.
Despite that showing, Fall was not invited to the 2019 NBA Draft Combine, meaning teams (including the Atlanta Hawks) would not have been able to see him up close.
However, Fall was invited to the G-League Elite Camp, and he was one of a handful of players that was called up after playing well in the event. It’s a good thing, too, as Fall was able to be measured at the event – where some of his numbers were staggering.
Fall measured out at a ludicrous 7-foot-7 in shoes with an absurd, record-breaking 8-foot-2 wingspan and a similarly preposterous 10-foot-3 standing reach. Those numbers rival Manute Bol’s, who was the tallest player in NBA history, as well as the father of 2019 NBA Draft prospect Bol Bol.
All of that length and size means that Fall is an efficient scorer around the basket (74.8 percent effective field goal percentage per Bart Torvik, and 79.9 percent around the rim per The Stepien‘s shot chart tool).
Despite being able to finish around the rim, Fall struggles at the free throw line. Fall produced a whopping 79.1 percent free throw rate in his senior season, but even though he got to the line, he only delivered on those shots 36.2 percent of the time. A very poor rate. The eye test, sadly, also bears this out:
Still though, with eye-popping measurements and limited, but effective, mobility in the paint, scoring in the interior would be a near impossibility if Fall was on the court. Could the Atlanta Hawks select Fall with one of the team’s second round picks as a 10-minute-a-game guy off the bench?
The team certainly needed help defending after last year’s porous defense, and the team has multiple second round picks in the 2019 NBA Draft. Though Fall’s stock is likely later on in the second round, where the Hawks have no picks, perhaps he goes undrafted and the Hawks offer up a Two-Way contract for its newly unveiled College Park Skyhawks G-League team. Fall would definitely be a big draw there.
Sure, he might not be able to shoot like his similarly long-limbed predecessor Manute Bol, but Tacko Fall would certainly make for an interesting inclusion on the Atlanta Hawks going forward. Will that be enough to draft him in the 2019 NBA Draft? Who knows, but we will find out soon enough.