Toronto Raptors: Masai Ujiri should keep an eye on Sekou Doumbouya

The Toronto Raptors might have filled out most of their rotation during the 2020-21 offseason, but Masai Ujiri will always keep an ear to the ground with the hopes of adding a player that could be a difference-maker or reclamation project. Ujiri may get his wish in the form of Sekou Doumbouya, who has fizzled with the Detroit Pistons.

Picked 15th overall in the 2019 NBA Draft, Doumbouya might have played his last game with Detroit as they look to turn the page and begin the Cade Cunningham era. Doumbouya has shown defensive skill, but his offense never developed like they hoped, as he averaged just 5.6 points per game and made 38% of his shots.

With the Pistons having resigned Hamidou Diallo, Detroit now has 16 guaranteed contracts, meaning that one of those contracts has to be thrown in the trash before the regular season starts. Names like Doumbouya and Jahlil Okafor could be on the block. Even our good friends over at PistonPowered think the Raptors should consider adding Doumbouya.

If the Pistons decide to release Doumbouya, the Raptors should take a very long look at signing him. A former first-round pick who checks all of the boxes Toronto is looking for from a size standpoint, is there a chance that the Raptors’ development system unlocks the hidden potential in him?

Could the Toronto Raptors add Sekou Doumbouya?

Born in Guinea, Doumbouya moved to France at a young age and started making a name for himself in some of the best French leagues. Doumbouya was able to succeed in France on athletic ability alone, but an inability to create for himself and make jump shots has limited his pro potential.

Let’s just say that Toronto is able to turn him into even just an average shooter. They’ll have stumbled upon a former first-round pick at just 20 years old that can handle the ball, defend guards and bigs, and makes plays without the ball.

Oh…and he’s a top-shelf athlete capable of taking your breath away with some rim-rattling dunks. the production is poor, but the flashes are there.

If we have learned anything about Toronto this offseason, it’s that this team values length and versatility on defense, entrusting that their coaching staff should be able to turn below-average shooters into quality snipers given their history with doing so.

The Raptors used the No. 4 overall selection on a versatile defender with shooting issues in Scottie Barnes and a second-rounder on Dalano Banton. Players like Yuta Watanabe and OG Anunoby maintaining prominent roles on this roster show that being long and aggressive on defense is a meal ticket in Toronto and shooting might come later.

The Raptors are giving players like Ishmail Wainright and Isaac Bonga chances to make the team solely because of their defensive skills. Doumbouya provides that while also giving Toronto a chance to unlock a high-level starter if they can steer him away from the pitfalls he fell into with the Pistons.