Sidy Cissoko: 2023 NBA Draft Scouting Report
Sidy Cissoko: 2023 NBA Draft Scouting Report
A fiery personality with unique physical tools, Cissoko has a lot to reign in, though his in-season growth with the Ignite makes him an intriguing project
Some folks prescribe to the team-building strategy of “draft a bunch of dudes you just don’t want to play against.”
Sidy Cissoko from the G-League Ignite falls into that category. Every time I watch him play, there are a few things that stand out. He’s got one or two really nice passes every game. He has great physical tools for a teenager that will make him a bully wing down the line and an exhausting individual assignment.
Most importantly, Cissoko is a hard-wired competitor. He talks his shit and backs it up with a supremely physical style of play. There aren’t any plays beneath him to make; he’ll dive on the floor, take a foul to save a basket, guard across the lineup, or hit any driver on their ass. Some guys pop off the screen as intense competitors, and this kid is one of them.
Cissoko’s pedigree and strong play for the Ignite this year have moved him up draft boards throughout the early Spring. He played professionally in the Spanish LEB Gold division a year ago, a second-tier pro league where he got to play more as a pass-first point guard. While there, he averaged 10.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists — not bad for a guy his age.
The transition to the Ignite saw a big leap in competition but a much different role. Cissoko wasn’t the lead ball handler or even a frequent jumbo creator next to guys like Scoot Henderson and Leonard Miller, who have gotten more mainstream attention than the Frenchman. He learned how to play off-ball a little better, made some real strides with his jump shot, and showed enough defensive tools to be a legitimate stopper someday.
My evaluation of Cissoko’s offense at the moment is built on competing ideals. As a teenager who has made a pair of professional league rosters in the past (one of which as a playmaking guard), there are elements of experience and feel he brings to the table that few other in this 2023 draft class can match. Cissoko averaged 4.3 assists per 40 minutes on the Ignite while sharing the floor with ball-dominant Scoot. Guys who have his level of experience who can get a nearly two-to-one assist-to-turnover ratio at 18 (he played the entire Ignite season at 18 years old) are highly valuable.
Yet Cissoko, even for a high-feel teenager, is still pretty raw. There are gains in his arsenal that need to take place for me to trust his on-ball creation reps, and as a scorer he leaves a ton to be desired in the half-court. I’m not sure what to make of those competing ideals of ‘high feel’ and ‘raw with an unclear pathway to on-ball half-court role’ just yet. What I know is that I like many of the skills that Cissoko brings to the table on an individual basis, and that combined with his competitive spirit leaves me enthused about his future.