Keba Keita draft prospects.

[Utesbyfive]

So he continues to start, begins averaging a double-double…

First rounder?

[RustyShackleford]

Teams are constantly drafting raw athletic freaks

[Great1Ute]

He is athletic and jumps out the gym, but at 6’8′ he seems a bit undersized for an NBA center. I would love to see him in the league though.

[Utesbyfive]

He’s a taller Karl Malone.

Before you say Malone was 6’9″, I stood in line with him once at Movie Buffs on 400 S. I’m 6’4″ and he was maybe… Maybe an inch or two taller than me.

[Charlie]

You made me laugh talking about inches relative to another man. Myself, I would not confuse him as 6 foot 6.

[belli1976]

Right now he would be viewed as a Dennis Rodman type player. But he lacks the discipline. Way too many poor fouls. And lacks the Bball IQ of how to use his body. This could change as he is still new’ish to the game.

[EagleMountainUte]

When he started against Oregon st how many fouls did he get?

It is a different mentality. Sometimes guys need to start. They understand their role differently. Bench players tend to be too aggressive defensively. It just changes your game.

As I have said Craig Smith needed an injury to realize Keita is a star talent that needs to start?

[belli1976]

Eagle – or it was against the last place Beavers.

[EagleMountainUte]

So what you are telling me is he performed well against an inferior opponent so it don’t count? Yeah I mean Utah had a whole two more conference wins going into the game.

Putting asterisks on wins when you are not even a tourney team is cope. Utah isn’t worlds ahead of any team. They are pretty much in the same realm as Oregon State.

[belli1976]

we almost doubled up points on the beavers most of the second half. We scored 4 in the last 4-5 minutes with 2nd and 3rd string guys. And you are saying they are like us???

[Utesbyfive]

Rodman? No. He can score, and he’s not looking to be an enforcer. I think he’s got more offensive upside than Rodman for sure.

[belli1976]

Rodman average almost 26 points per game in college.

[DrahtUte]

His touch around the rim now is just such a nice surprise.

Last year he looked like a purely defense-and-rebounds type of big. This year he looks like a reliable low post threat.

I swear I’ve never seen a player suddenly develop touch like that seemingly out of nowhere.

I’m feeling confident he’ll get drafted now but still think he’s more of a second rounder at the moment.

[The Miami Ute]

Keita has to really polish his game and develop a consistent outside shot to just get into the draft conversation. Even a guy like Carlson, who’s 7′, can handle the ball well, and can shoot the ball from the outside isn’t considered a draftable NBA prospect. Last I checked, he was rated something like the 230th prospect for the 2024 draft. The problem with getting drafted is that there are so many good players, relatively speaking so few NBA teams, and also, unlike football, a lot of excellent foreign players we’ve never heard about or seen play, draftable high school players, and players who only play one season in college and get drafted absurdly high.

[chinngiskhaan]

He’s very athletic. I’m not going to label him an athletic freak by NBA standards just yet because I don’t know what his numbers are. Athletically he has what it takes to play in the NBA at his size. I’ll leave it at that. He has decent shooting form. To be a good shooter you need good/consistent form and confidence in that form. Keita has decent form, good enough to develop a decent midrange shot. His biggest problem (and it is a fixable one) is that he lacks confidence in his shot. You can see it when he shoots free throws. He is a good shot blocker, but I’m not sure I would call him an elite defender. He’s going to have to guard very athletic guys who are great shooters on the perimeter if he makes it to the NBA, and I haven’t seen him do that (not saying he can’t, just haven’t seen it).

James Nnanji is a good comparison for Keita I think. Nnanji was a late 1st round pick in the most recent NBA draft. He is a very raw big man who is essentially a rebounder, shot blocker, and rim runner on offense. The difference is, Nnanji is several inches taller, and has a 7 ft 5 inch wingspan. If Keita can make up for the size difference by developing a mid-range shot, and a 70%-ish free throw shot, he’ll be a 2nd round kind of guy.

I’ve been really impressed with player development under Smith/Burgess. Carlson, Madsen, and Keita have all taken HUGE steps forward this year. Carlson could not put on weight to save his life, the last two years he has looked like a different man. Carlson’s confidence in his stroke has also improved immensely. Madsen has improved his shot and his physique. I would not be surprised to see Keita develop a 15-foot jumper if he sticks around till his senior year… but he’s going to have to put up shots to develop confidence in his ability to make them, and so far that hasn’t happened.

[Jim Vanderhoof]

Keba reminds me of Mike Sogourner that played in the early 70’s. Very similar size and game. He got drafted in the first round and played three years with the Hawks. He couldn’t shoot either and was a little under sized at the time. Shot blocker and rebounder could jump out of the gym.

NBA is different now. No three point shot back then. Now you have guys 7’1 Holmgren and 7’4 Wembayamba shooting 3’s. Keba has to able to shoot from the perimeter and guard from the perimeter to have any shot at 6’8. He struggled against Stanfords 7 footer. Could have a decent career overseas.

With that being said he is incredibly athletic and fun to watch. Him and D Smith together are dynamic. They make Madsen and Carlsen better. Coach Smith needs to get his act together and has the rest of the season to max this teams potential.

[homer]

I thought Mike and his older brother who played for Weber both were better. Loved watching the team when Mike and Ticky played.

[Jim Vanderhoof]

Homer that was one of my favorite Ute basketball teams of all time. No three point shot or Ticky would have averaged 5 or 6 more points a game.

Remember they played in the NIT final four at Madison Square garden. A reporter asked the Utah coach in the arena before the game how high Sojourner could jump? Coach said need any light bulbs changed. Thought it was funny at the time.

[Yergensen]

Undersized in terms of height? Height is not the right indicator for the vertical element of the game. Wing span (7’4) and vertical jump (+40’) are the right indicators and Keba has those in spades. Also, he’s strong and more importantly athletic and quick twitch, a versatile defender with good, not great, pick and roll potential. Height is simply a non-issue. His shooting will be the knock against him.

[chinngiskhaan]

Wingspan is not a reliable indicator of “the vertical element” either. Standing reach is better (height plus arm length rather than just arm length). A 6!ft 8 guy with a 7 ft 4 wingspan is not going to be able to reach as high as a 7 ft guy with the same wingspan.

Where are you getting those numbers for keita?

[Jim Vanderhoof]

Yerg I agree with your height evaluation.i would rather have a long athletic 6’8 guy that can defend the perimeter and get offensive rebounds than a 7’ guy that can’t move or jump. Keba checks those boxes for sure and then some.

The question was draft prospect. The old NBA post up days are gone for now. It’s about spreading the floor and shooting the three. Keba doesn’t have the shooting capability. The days of Malone and Barkley posting up are gone. Keba could be a good post up player.

[The Miami Ute]

He’s got to develop an outside shot or he’s got zero chance at an NBA career. The way the game is played now, he’d be an offensive liability whenever he stepped on the floor. Teams would just ignore him and dare him to shoot while concentrating on better shooters.

[EagleMountainUte]

Pistons could use him.

[Jim Vanderhoof]

Carlsen checks all the NBA boxes with the exception of physical strength. I hope he gets a chance. He has not been highly rated in the past. Glad he came back. He has great athleticism and ball skills for his size.🤞

[chinngiskhaan]

For an NBA player his athleticism is average or less.

[Jim Vanderhoof]

I disagree. With the hair and headband he would look good on the end of any bench in the NBA. Kidding of course. Defending the perimeter might be a challenge. NBA much more physical than college. Although Holmgren is proving us wrong. His thighs are smaller than Kebas calves!! Carlsen has similar skill sets.

[The Miami Ute]

Not to disagree with you, but, in my opinion, the only thing that Carlson has in common with Holmgren is similarity of body type. If their skill sets/abilities were remotely similar, Carlson would have left for the NBA years ago. This updated profile for the 2024 NBA draft has him as #91, which obviously means he would have to stick with some team as an UDFA:

2024 NBA Draft Big Board

For some reason, and I don’t know why, Carlson is not highly rated by NBA scouts. For example, Aday Mara, the 7’3″ UCLA freshman from Spain who’s averaging 3.7 PPG, and who played like crap when the Bruins were in town, is much more highly rated than Carlson.

[Jim Vanderhoof]

Watching OKC play the Jazz the other night. Holmgren listed 7’1 195 lbs. 38% 3 pt 7 rebounds 17 pts.

Carlsen 7’0 220 lbs 35% 3 pt. 7 rebounds 17 pts. Similar stats and similar size. Similar ball skills. Holmgren looks like he has a bigger reach and shot blocking ability and can drive to basket a little better but nothing stood out as far as athleticism or physical. He has the skinniest legs in NBA history! Obviously he is rated higher than Carlsen and was a top pick. Maybe Carlsen is underrated. I’m not an expert on NBA talent evaluation. Just using the eye test. Also realize the difference in talent between pro and college is huge.

[WJUte]

If Keita wants to play major pro sports he should talk to Whitt about playing DE for the football team. I could see him in NFL before NBA.

[BleedsRedUte]

One troubling part of Keita’s play so far is his fumbling of some passes, like he doesn’t expect it. They are basically running plays for him that if he were more surehanded he would have at least 3 more baskets per game. He goes against taller opponents and gets doubled, but he has to be more tenacious and sticky fingered when a pass comes near him. He should be able to develop and improve in this area.

[UtahMan17]

He’s not a draftable prospect. There are a million great athlete tweener frontcourt players who can’t shoot out there.

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