When you see Michigan freshman Moussa Diabate, you can't help but be impressed. He's all of 6-11, he's got great length, a physique that lets you know he's a freaky athlete and a frame that could easily hold 30-40 more pounds.
Then you hear about his story and listen to him speak, and you find yourself even more impressed. The freshman was born in Paris and never really played any sport until he was 12 or 13 years old. As he explains that he's only been hooping for five or six years with his intriguing French accent, you can't help but wonder just how good this kid can be.
And then he reveals who he models his game after, and you start to feel like it's only a matter of time before he's special at Michigan and beyond.
"I'll say Kevin Garnett is somebody I really look at," Diabate explained. "I'm a big fan of big guard things. I don't know if you know him but Tim Thomas. I like power forwards who can play inside and out. I also watch Hakeem Olajuwon and Joel Embiid too. Giannis too. Great players to add. Jonathan Isaac. I watch a lot of players."
Diabate obviously rattled off several players there, but the Garnett mention is the best one, in my opinion. At 6-11, 210 pounds, Diabate has a very similar build to Garnett who was listed at 6-11, 217 pounds during his rookie season with the Timberwolves.
Diabate may actually be a better raw athlete than Garnett was as a youngster, but several other similarities are certainly there. Diabate mentioned how much he likes "big guard things" and those kinds of skills are what made Garnett one of the best power forwards in the history of the game. The Big Ticket could handle it, jab step and hit a jump shot or put the ball on the deck and go by bulkier, slower 4-men. He even developed a pretty reliable three-point shot later in his career, and that's something Diabate can already do with some consistency.
At the end of the day, if Diabate's trajectory is anywhere near Garnett's, Michigan fans are going to love him for as long as he's in Ann Arbor. It may only end up being one season, because he has all the tools to be a special player.
More must-reads: