The Summer League is a great chance for youngsters to showcase their abilities, and sometimes it’s filled with surprises, like Hawks‘ rookie Mouhamed Gueye, who Trae Young has high praise for:
Gueye has averaged 10.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.8 assists in four games on 44.8% shooting from the field and 41.7% from beyond the arc. Though Kobe Bufkin is drawing most of the attention, given his first-round draft status, Gueye is a guy to keep your eye on as a contributor this season.
The 6-foot-11 forward has a skill set that fits the modern game extremely well. At Washington State, he was a double-double machine, capable of impacting the game in so many ways on both ends of the court. He’s an excellent offensive rebounder, averaging nearly 3.5 per contest. The ability to generate second chance opportunities is a coveted skill in this league, and he’s showcasing it early in Sumer League, averaging 2.5 per game.
He can run the floor and is capable of handling the rock. Though I wouldn’t go as far as to call him a point forward, he’s certainly not a ball stopper. He’s also got a smooth jump shot and is much improved from three-point land. Defensively, Gueye is a fluid athlete with a 7-foot-3 wingspan and is pretty disruptive.
Watching the Summer League, it’s easy to see what Trae Young and Quin Snyder see in Mouhamed Gueye, even if he is a second rounder. Given the minutes opened up by the John Collins trade, there’s a path for him to see the court as a rookie.
Brian Rothmuller/Icon
More must-reads: