Mark Pope believes Mo Dioubate can be a "point forward" at Kentucky

One of the primary reasons Mo Dioubate transferred from Alabama to Kentucky was to help advance his skill set.

During two seasons with the Crimson Tide, Dioubate was part of a Final Four and an Elite Eight team. He saw a limited role as a freshman in 2023-24, but worked his way into the rotation as a sophomore. The New York native’s game quickly developed from year one to year two. He averaged 7.2 points and 5.9 rebounds in just 16 minutes per outing off the bench under Nate Oats in 2024-25. Dioubate’s shooting percentages saw a significant jump, as well.

But there is clearly more to Dioubate’s game than what he’s shown, and he wants to unearth those traits in Lexington with head coach Mark Pope guiding the way.

“I think the best part of my game was rebounding, playing defense, and bringing the energy to the team,” Dioubate told reporters Monday. “And last year, I think, with more minutes and stuff, I think I could have been a better shooter, I’d say, with the confidence, with the minutes that came, and my decision-making, being a better playmaker and stuff. I feel like I could do that better this year.”

At Kentucky, Dioubate is likely to soak up more than the 16 minutes per contest he was averaging last season at Alabama. At 6-foot-7, 215 pounds, there was a clear need for someone with his size, physicality, and positional versatility. His rebounding and defense alone will help take the ‘Cats to that next level in 2025-26. Whenever his new teammates are asked about him, they’ve all agreed it’s better to have Dioubate on their side than on the opposing bench. Dioubate was productive during Alabama’s three-game sweep of Kentucky last season.

But there might be more to his offensive game than meets the eye. Dioubate shot 61.7 percent from the field last season and 46.2 percent from deep. Granted, those outside shots came on limited volume (12-26 on the season), but there’s reason to believe it’s not completely fool’s gold. He did increase his free-throw percentage from 47.1 percent as a freshman to 60.9 percent as a sophomore.

“That’s something that I know I’m going to need for the next level,” Dioubate said about his shooting. “I work on it, constant hours every day to try to get it better.”

That being said, Dioubate isn’t coming to Kentucky so he can fire off 10-plus shots per game. He’s going to be the team’s engine on both ends of the floor. Offensively, we could see him take on a similar role to what Amari Williams did last season — someone who helps initiate the offense and direct traffic from the high post.

“Coach Pope, he called me a point forward,” Dioubate said. “He knows what I’m able to do. He has the confidence in me. He see I could be a point guard at times, or I could be a forward, offense or defense. I feel like that’s what he really loves about me, the versatility I could bring to the floor. He love a dog. He’s really looking forward to that.”

Dioubate turned into a capable, albeit sometimes unreliable, ball handler and playmaker while at Alabama. He only averaged 1.1 assists per game (not terrible for someone of his size and play style), which he coupled with 1.1 turnovers per game, but that came in a mostly off-ball role. Pope sees those numbers improving with a higher usage rate on the ball and in the pick-and-roll. You can picture Dioubate running zoom action sets in the way Williams did last season.

“(Dioubate) is a guy who can really stir the drink for us,” Pope told Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports in May. “The way we invert the game, and we have our bigs carrying such a load as decision-makers on offense, he is tailor-made for what we do. And then he’s got these big shoulders that he just rams through your chest. His physicality is elite, both on offense and defense.”

Bring on the Point Mo experiment, Coach Pope.