NBA Draft Scouting Report: Cincinnati's Aziz Bandaogo
Aziz Bandaogo
Center | Cincinnati
Height: 7'0” | Weight: 230 lbs
2024 Draft Age: 23.42
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Prospect Profile
After spending two seasons at Akron, Bandaogo played at Utah Valley in his third college season but has now transferred to Cincinnati. Known for being an incredible shot blocker, his skills will be put to the test against a higher level of competition in year four.
Although an older prospect, Bandaogo still has a ton of upside and much room to improve. Just last season, be started to expand his range and took the first 15 triples of his career, converting on 33.3% of them. If he’s able to continue at that rate on more volume, his draft stock will rise. Outside of that, he’s an ultra efficient scorer, shooting 60% from the floor overall. While most of his shots are near the rim where he can use his size to finish with ease, there’s much more to Bandaogo’s game than that.
As a pick-and-roll man, the 7-footer is a great lob threat. At Cincinnati this season, he will really help to space the floor vertically and be a favorite target of his backcourt teammates. While Bandaogo is thin, he’s able to slice through the defense to get to the rim for lobs very effectively.
Defensively, he’s a fantastic rim protector and leverages good pop and timing to block a ton of shots. Just last season, he was one of the best shot blockers in the country with 106 on the year which earned him WAC Defensive Player of the Year. He’s also a very effective rebounder, which is why he averaged a double-double in his third season. While he cleans the glass well on both ends, he notched a 11.1% offensive rebound rate which was very impressive.
Although Utah Valley wasn’t the highest level of competition, he did help the team win a school record 28 games last season and a deep NIT run. His impact on winning can’t go without notice. In fact, he was a huge reason they beat his new school, Cincinnati, in the quarterfinals of the NIT.
Originally from Senegal, Bandaogo really started to blossom at NBA Academy Africa and has gotten even better ever since. In the Big 12 spotlight this season, he will have the chance to shine on a bigger stage and get the attention of NBA teams more easily.
Highlights
Draft Projection
Potential Second-Round Pick in 2024 NBA Draft.
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