Report: Michigan forward Moussa Diabate to remain in NBA Draft

Michigan forward Moussa Diabate will not return to school next season and stay in the 2022 NBA Draft, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports. Diabate only spent one season in Ann Arbor with the Wolverines, being the latest example of the one and done in college basketball.

Playing in 32 games last season, Diabate was able to average 9.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. He shot over 50% from the field but just 61.9% from the free-throw line. There was some thought Diabate would return to Michigan in order to improve his draft stock but he will now make the jump to the NBA.

Diabate saw his best performance of the season come against Iowa, dropping 28 points on 12 of 15 shooting. The forward also added eight rebounds, helping Michigan get a crucial win on the road. However, the following game only saw three points and three rebounds, showing the inconsistency.

In the latest projections from ESPN, Diabate was not selected. Caleb Houstan was the only Wolverines player selected throughout the two-round mock draft.

Diabate was ranked a five-star prospect by the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting services. He was the No. 17 overall player in the 2021 recruiting class and No. 5 power forward. Coming out of IMG Academy, Diabate was a top-three recruit in the state of Florida.

Even though he was not selected in the ESPN mock draft, the five-star ranking shows there is still a ton of potential in Diabate. On3 ranked him as the No. 20 player and provided a scouting report on Diabate when he was a high school prospect.

“Lengthy frame and moves extremely well. An elite defensive prospect,” the scouting report said. “Can move feet with perimeter players can protect the rim on the block. Very switchable. A noted hard worker. A 7-5 wingspan. A good rebounder on both ends. Defense is ahead of the offense. Can face up and put the ball on the floor for a couple of dribbles. Is raw. The jump shot is flat, but he does have touch. Can push the break off the boards. A native of France. Has modern NBA tools for a big.”

There will still be plenty of time for Diabate to improve his draft stock, as the process is just getting underway. The NBA Draft is scheduled for June 23, 2022.