NBA Draft Scouting Report: St. John’s Tounde Yessoufou

The 2026 NBA Draft class was a loaded one, so much so that one of college basketball’s best freshmen in Tounde Yessoufou opted for a collegiate return to St. John’s.

Now the former Bear is hoping to continue an upward trend with the Red Storm, opposed to becoming a longtime collegiate player.

Below is the quick scouting report for Yessoufou’s sophomore season:

Position: Wing

College: St. John’s

Class: Sophomore

Height: 6-foot-5

Weight: 220

Draft age: 21.1

Strengths:

Physical Tools and Motor

At 6-foot-5 and well over 200 pounds, Yessoufou is one of the most physically imposing wings in college basketball. He’s fairly athletic, able to use speed or strength in the open court, and has a wide frame that should be capable of aiding him on both ends, even at the NBA level.

Slashing

The skill most aided by Yessoufou’s combination of tools, athleticism and motor is his slashing ability, dive-bombing the rim in transition or spotting up. He shot a great 64% at the rim in his single season with Baylor, and if he adds more creativity in getting to the rim, it should open up his jump-shooting opportunities even more.

Defensive Play-Making and Upside

Yessoufou racked up 2.0 steals and 0.6 blocks as a freshman, showcasing elite defensive play-making in jumping lanes and poking the ball free with good hands. He isn’t yet a consistent defender overall, so adding better point-of-attack defense in addition to play-making will be a key area in Year 2.

Shooting Upside

Yessoufou got plenty of shots up at Baylor, taking 5.3 threes per game, though he hit on just 29% of those. That’s a good enough starting point for an eventual shooting wing, though he’ll need to massively raise his efficiency as a sophomore, even if the volume doesn’t rise massively.

Areas of Improvement:

Decision-Making and Shot-Selection

Yessoufou’s biggest areas of improvement are somewhat all-encompassing in his decision-making and shot-selection. Making better decisions with the ball and shoring up the lesser parts of his shot selection would go a long way in defining his future role for NBA teams.

Handling

Yessoufou could stand to tighten his handle and adding some more advanced dribble moves to further separate his on-ball production.

Outlook:

Yessoufou remains one of the best and most talented prospects in the country, though certain levers will need to be pulled in order for NBA teams to consider him a great professional bet.

If he can shoot better from beyond the arc, showcase more consistency on defense and cut out any lesser decision-making, he could cement himself as a lottery pick.

Projected Range: Lottery to Late-First

NBA Role: Energy Wing

Swing Skills: Decision-Making

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