The Milwaukee Bucks will be drafting at #10 in the upcoming NBA Draft, and while there are a number of players that could fit the Bucks, Skal Labissiere out of Kentucky is unquestionably the best player the Bucks could get.
Who is Skal Labissiere?
Labissiere is native of Haiti and didn’t come to the U.S. until after the devastating earthquake that hit his homeland. Until coming to the States, he hadn’t played much organized basketball; however, once he began playing in high school, he quickly popped up on the radar of many major college programs.
It’s easy to see why. Labissiere is a top-flight prospect because of a combination of his frame and athleticism. He’s just about 7 feet tall in shoes, and has a wingspan of 7’2.5″, and moves as fluidly as a guard. Coupled with tremendous leaping ability, his physical tools are worth salivating over.
Labissiere’s game
Despite having only recently picked up the sport, Labissiere already has a pretty versatile skill set on offense. His shooting mechanics are flawless, a rare sight for someone of his size. He shot 41.5% on jump shots in his lone season at Kentucky, which will only continue to go up as he gets more comfortable shooting the ball.
He also has the ability to finish at the rim, shooting over 60% from in close. He also has great hands and can catch the ball in traffic and is the ideal roll man, similar to players like Tyson Chandler and prime Dwight Howard. He is also excellent at catching lobs and with his ability to leap and finish at the rim, could become a very exciting player to watch for Bucks fans.
What separates him from them is his ability to also play the 4. The mechanics on his jumpsuit lend him very well to playing as a stretch 4 in the NBA, although he will need to add some range to get into 3-point territory. With his shooting stroke, it shouldn’t be hard for him to extend his range.
Labissiere is also a tremendous shot blocker, both as a weak side defender and chasing down players in transition a la LeBron James. With his fluid movements and wingspan, he has the tools to switch to perimeter players and would be a tremendous fit for Kidd’s defensive scheme as well.
The modern day NBA is moving towards big men who can play defense on a number of positions and stretch the floor, making Labissiere the perfect prospect to help the Bucks move in that direction.
What he needs to do
While he has a versatile skill set, there are a few weaknesses in his offensive game. He has a tendency to use his dribble too often, when facing up, rather than shooting over smaller defenders. He could also work on his footwork with his back to the basket, a skill that could really push him past most other big men in the league. Additionally, when posting up he can be knocked off spots on the court, due to a lack of muscle mass.
Adding muscle mass shouldn’t be a problem, as NBA teams will have a dedicated training staff to help him bulk up and it should eliminate issues like getting knocked off spots and his struggles boxing out for rebounds.
One other weakness is simply inexperience in offensive systems. Labissiere is not a skilled passer and often tries to finish over double teams, instead of finding the open man. Playing in the summer league and simply being coached should help him improve in leaps and bounds. He has the tools to play in the NBA, and should only improve as time goes on.
One area Labissiere really struggled with was on the defensive glass and this stemmed from two things in particular. The first was his lack of defensive feel for the game. Labissiere often threw himself out of position attempting to block shots, he really didn’t have a chance to block, which kept him out of a position to box out.
Part of this was his desire to make big plays, but even more so was simply a lack of experience. At Kentucky, John Calipari gave him a very short leash, which really hurt his confidence and limited his opportunities to get a proper feel for how to play defense in an actual game. It also helped develop a bad habit of “hero ball” in which Labissiere tried to make big plays in order to justify staying on the court, but ended up getting him sent to the bench instead. With time and proper coaching, Labissiere should be able to grasp defensive concepts and learn proper discipline on the court.
The other reason for his poor rebounding was due to his lack of strength. As mentioned earlier, that is one of the easiest issues to address, upon reaching the NBA and should not hurt his draft prospects. However, it may affect how quickly he is able to make an impact in the pro’s.
Defensively, Labissiere will need the same type of system coaching he does on offense. He still hasn’t quite grasped excellent decision making in terms of guarding the pick and roll, and can make mistakes leading to easy buckets for the other team. Jason Kidd has shown both in Brooklyn and here in Milwaukee that he is capable of improving players’ defense through coaching and his own experience as a player could really be a catalyst in cleaning up a lot of Labissiere’s rough edges.
Skal has all the physical tools to be a tremendous NBA player and if he develops properly, could be the steal of the draft. He already has enough polish on his game to at least earn minutes on the Bucks and could really help address the Buck’s poor rim protection from day one. That said, drafting him would be a bit of a developmental pick for the Bucks, as opposed to someone who could immediately improve the team.
The Bucks do have time to wait. They are still a few years away from true title contention with their young core and taking the time to develop an elite modern day NBA big could pay huge dividends – especially one who can play both the 4 and 5, impact the game not just with his defense, but also stretch the floor with a jumper and attack the rim in the pick and roll. It’s the type of forward-thinking move the Bucks did not make in the Herb Kohl era, but with new ownership and an emphasis on team building towards a championship, rather than just making the playoffs, it seems like a no-brainer.