The Detroit Pistons drafted Sekou Doumbouya with the 15th overall draft selection in the 2019 NBA Draft, and they've made it clear they have some high hopes for his future.
And he's given the team some glimpses of what they can look forward to in the future, showing flashes of promise coupled with some to-be-expected rookie mistakes.
But Pistons head coach Dwane Casey raised some eyebrows on Monday night following a disastrous offensive showing against the Charlotte Hornets, expressing some real concern about the 19 year-old rookie and his recent stretch of play.
“I'm very concerned about Sekou,” Casey said Monday night. “He's a young kid, his outlook, his demeanor, he should be having the most fun of anybody.”
“I don't know if it’s a culture barrier, maybe, but he's gotta continue to play hard, play with passion, take advantage of opportunity because it's fleeting.”
Doumbouya has hit just 27.8% of his shots in the past 13 games (he was 2-8 with four points against Charlotte Monday night), and was also recently benched due to tardiness. Casey also recently hinted that Doumbouya could soon return to the NBA G-League's Grand Rapids Drive.
Of course, there's plenty of time to figure everything out, as Doumbouya just turned 19 years old this past December. But Casey's comments don't exactly build confidence – at least for now.
– – Quotes courtesy of Duncan Smith of Forbes Link– –