2019 NBA Draft: Full Mock Draft 4.0, Atlanta Hawks Trade Down to Pick at 8, 14 & 22, Lakers Trade #4
By Chris Guest
player. 2367. . Center. portland trail blazers. Mfiondu Kabengele. 25
A late riser in the 2019 NBA Draft process, Mfiondu Kabengele has one of the best names in the draft – as well as plenty of upside for whatever team drafts him.
In this mock, the Portland Trail Blazers nab Kabengele at #25 overall and look to groom him as a more athletic replacement for Al-Farouq Aminu in the short-term, as well as a potential franchise cornerstone in the long-term.
Kabengele was one of the best players to come off the bench in NCAA Men’s basketball in the 2018-19 season, as he was debatably the best player on a Florida State team that finished 4th in the ACC regular season and got beaten by Duke in the ACC Conference Tournament.
In limited minutes, Kabengele produced a striking 8.3 percent block rate, which ranked 56th in the nation per KenPom. He was also adept and producing fouls as his 55 percent foul rate and 6.6 fouls drawn per 40 minutes were both quite gaudy for his team.
Beyond that, Kabengele is a good, growing shooter who delivered on 36.9 percent of his three-pointers in his sophomore season. The combination of rim-protection and three-point shooting is exactly what every team in the NBA is looking for right now, so the Blazers would do well take a swing on Kabengele late in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft.