NBA Draft Scouting Report: Oklahoma State's Moussa Cisse

Prospect Profile

A Guinean big, Cisse is one of the best shot blockers in college basketball. He’s got the combination of timing, feel, and quick burst off the floor to high-peak the ball.

The reason NBA teams will be most interested in the 7-footer for is the defensive upside. He can absolutely change the game on that end of the floor. While he is an effective paint protector, Cisse does sometimes struggle to cover in space.

With that in mind, he’s still pretty raw on the defensive end and has plenty of room to get even better. Cisse is an explosive leaper and good athlete, with his head being at the level of the rim on some blocks. To make things even more appealing as it relates to physical tools, he boasts a 7-foot-5 wingspan.

Cisse is a really good rebounder and also a solid rim runner. As such, he is capable of producing a double-double on any given night. Outside of running the floor, catching lobs and generating second chance points, his offensive game is lacking.

He is pretty far from a modern NBA center, scoring nearly all of his points in the paint. Cisse doesn’t have an effective jumper, so he will need to get more comfortable in the midrange before we even start to wonder if he can evolve into a 3-point shooter.

Mechanically, his jumper actually isn’t bad. It looks looks halfway decent for a guy of his size, but he doesn’t take them very often. This is likely because he lacks confidence, as he’s only taken one 3-pointer his entire college career.

Because of the shots he takes, Cisse shoots a high percentage. Even then, he doesn’t shoot on volume and the offense certainly doesn’t go through him. He’s a tertiary storing option most nights at this point in his career.

One major downfall of Cisse’s game is his free throw efficiency. Since he can’t be trusted at the line, it limits his ability to be in the closing lineup down the stretch at times.

Overall, Cisse is a raw prospect on both ends. As such, he can be turnover and foul prone due to being in undisciplined. Any team taking a chance on the Oklahoma State prospect will be investing in a project.

Cisse has the size and tools to be a really solid NBA center, but he’s not there yet.

The former five-star center was a top 25 player coming out of high school. Before transferring to Oklahoma State, he spent one year at Memphis where he was AAC Freshman of the Year.

A starter his entire college career, he’s clearly an impact player. Following his freshman season, Cisse actually considered testing the draft waters and even went to G League Elite Camp.

After earning Big 12 Player of the Year honors as a sophomore, he’s only improved his draft stock since deciding to go back to college instead of making the jump back then. 

Highlights

Draft Projection

Second-Round Pick in 2023 NBA Draft.

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