This one skill could make Baylor star Tounde Yessoufou a Top-5 NBA Draft Pick
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Baylor freshman Tounde Yessoufou is only two games into his college career, yet he's already drawing NBA lottery-range attention. In Bleacher Report’s latest mock draft, NBA writer Jonathan Wasserman projected the 6-foot-6 forward just outside the top 14 to the Toronto Raptors, highlighting a blend of power, explosion, and defensive impact rarely seen from an 18-year-old.
Wasserman compared Yessoufou to Washington Wizards wing Cam Whitmore and emphasized how the freshman’s profile continues to evolve.
“He features a rare combination of power and explosion for finishing and defending,” Wasserman wrote. “Flashes of self-creation and shotmaking hint at untapped scoring potential… Previously valued mostly for his physical frame, athleticism and motor… he has delivered more and more signs that he's morphing into an interchangeable wing from a combo forward.”
Through two games, Yessoufou has shown exactly why NBA evaluators are intrigued. He’s averaging 18.5 points, six rebounds, 1.5 assists and two steals per game while shooting 48.3 percent from the field. The defensive activity is already translating. The explosiveness is real. The motor hasn’t slowed.
But the concerns Wasserman noted are also surfacing. Yessoufou is shooting just 27.3 percent from three, and his recent outing against Washington offered a snapshot of both the upside and the early hurdles. While he was highly effective defensively in Baylor’s win, he shot just 4-of-13 from the field (30.8 percent) and 1-of-6 from three (16.7 percent). The tools remain elite, but the offensive refinement is still a work in progress.
That contrast is what makes the comparison to former Baylor star VJ Edgecombe so compelling. Edgecombe entered the 2024 NBA Draft with similar shooting questions yet has quickly proven capable of developing real perimeter skill. The No. 3 overall pick is averaging 15.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists for the Philadelphia 76ers while shooting 40.9 percent from the field and 36.2 percent from deep in 37.3 minutes per game. His early rise is tied to more than athleticism—his floor spacing and versatility have made him indispensable.
Whitmore represents the other end of the spectrum. He’s shown flashes in the league but hasn’t fully stuck in a rotation, averaging 9.2 points and 2.3 rebounds for Washington while shooting 30.3 percent from three in limited minutes.
Yessoufou sits between those paths. His athletic foundation already places him on draft boards, but his ceiling—and whether he climbs into the lottery—depends on whether his development trends closer to Edgecombe’s refinement or Whitmore’s inconsistency. For Baylor’s newest high-octane forward, the swing skill is clear: if the jumper comes along, the draft stock will too.
Jalon Dixon is a sports journalist with a passion for covering basketball at every level. He has written extensively on men’s and women’s college basketball, as well as the NBA, building a reputation for clear analysis and thoughtful storytelling. His work focuses on the players, programs, and trends shaping the sport, offering readers insight that goes beyond the box score. Whether breaking down a key matchup or highlighting emerging talent, Jalon’s goal is to provide balanced coverage that connects fans to the game’s strategy, culture, and ongoing evolution.