NBA Draft: Sidy Cissoko Makes for Awesome Wing Project for OKC Thunder
This year’s NBA Playoffs are a perfect reminder of why wings are so important. The ability of a high-level scoring wing — or wings — can catapult teams into contention. Just look at what Jimmy Butler has done for the Miami Heat, or what Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are doing for the Boston Celtics.
Equally as important is the ability to guard those bigger wings, something a lot of teams have struggled with this year.
As for the Oklahoma City Thunder, there are already a few guys on the roster capable of guarding the league’s bigger wings for spurts, but one could argue that the team as a whole could use a shot in the arm when it comes to perimeter defense. Luguentz Dort, Kenrich Williams, and Jalen Williams are fine defenders and Ousmane Dieng does look like he is coming along nicely, but adding another wing stopper certainly wouldn’t hurt.
And the 2023 NBA Draft might have just the guy the Thunder could use: Sidy Cissoko of the G League Ignite.
Cissoko, a native of France, has shown some absolutely mind-blowing defensive chops at just 19 years old. At 6-foot-7 and 225 pounds, he has the strength, footwork, and hands to stay in front of and even swallow up most players on an NBA floor, evidenced by him averaging 1.1 steals and 1.0 blocks across 28 games this season.
Whether the Ignite product found himself mismatched in the post, or tasked with defending wings or guards, he showed he has all the tools necessary to make life difficult for the opposition. It also wasn’t uncommon to see Cissoko rotating over from the weak-side to protect the rim, offering enticing upside on the defensive end of the floor.
Offensively, Cissoko is more of a work in progress which can be said about even some of the top prospects in this year’s class.
But there are two areas he stands out in: passing and ball-handling. Cissoko averaged an impressive 3.6 assists to just 1.9 turnovers per game in the G League, showing off the accuracy and vision to hit teammates all over the floor. He also is comfortable handling the ball in the open court and even has the confidence to split defenders and is able to finish with either hand.
However, in order to maximize his offensive talents, Cissoko will definitely need to continue to improve his outside shot. The good news is that his jumper isn’t broken and actually looks relatively smooth and should give the Thunder’s shooting coach, Chip Engelland, something to work with.
Overall, Cissoko possesses scintillating two-way upside. It’s hard to envision his defense not translating in a very positive way to the NBA level and if he figures out how to hit 3-pointers at a reasonable clip. If the Thunder decide to take a shot on him, he might be the perfect wing project to round out their rebuild.
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