Living on the edge of the one of the more cultured cities in the world, Pantin, France native Mouhammadou Jaiteh is on the verge of joining the prestigious NBA fraternity. While natives of Pantin and Paris, France (Pantin's neighboring city) etch some of the finest pieces of art out of stone, the 6'11, 250 lb Jaiteh might be one of the finest looking specimen in the 2013 NBA Draft Class. Despite being the youngest prospect in the draft, Jaiteh already has a chisled frame that NBA veterans would absolutely die for.
Similar to Nuggets guard Evan Fournier, Jaiteh decided to play for France's Pro B league, which is the country's equivilant to the NBA D-League. The league features middling prospects and undersized American journeyman, mainly because of the fact that most young players like Jaiteh decide to play in the more prestigious Pro A league.
Like most 18 year old prospects, Jaiteh is extremely raw on both sides of the ball because of the fact that he didn't start playing basketball until he was 13 years old. Before he stepped his feet on the court, the big man was actually a soccer player, which makes sense because he's very mobile and quick for somebody his size. That same quickness is extremely apparent when he's crashing the boards and going for rebounds. That's arguably his best ability, even though he rarely boxes out his opposition. Such a skill is one he'll have to learn as he makes his way to the NBA.
Despite averaging 16.2 points per contest last season, Jaiteh's offensive skills are still extremely basic. That's often common for somebody so young. He's not very dependable both inside and outside of the paint, though he still has a lot of potential because of his excellent frame and soft touch. He doesn't have many post moves that he can use while he's in the paint, but, nevertheless, displayed a nice little jump hook at April's Nike Hoop Summit. His work outside of the paint is still a big question mark. That said, the big man can still knock down the occasional mid-range jumper.
Jaiteh's offensive game needs a lot of work, but at this point, his defense is a much bigger issue. Just watching him work can kind of be a chore because of how much he struggles in a basic defensive set. This should improve as he progresses as an overall player, simply because he has a lot of potential.
Mouhammad Jaiteh is lated to be selected in the later parts of the first round or early parts of the second, but will probably be stashed away overseas or the D-League, depending on the team's situation. For example, if he is picked by teams like Oklahoma City (#29) or Cleveland (#31 and #33), those teams could easily moniter his progress because of the close proximety between the NBA and D-League clubs.