One of the trends in the NBA nowadays is big men developing an outside shot. Don't expect Charlotte Hornets center Moussa Diabate to hop onto that train, though, as adding that to his bag doesn't appear to be in the pipeline just yet.
During the Hornets' media day, Diabate was asked what skill he thought he needed to improve to be a more well-rounded player on offense. He responded by stressing that he needs to be a better finisher inside the paint and focusing on making things that he is already good at even better.
As sports scribe Richie Randall, who posed the question, noted, Diabate may have hinted that extending his scoring abilities to the perimeter is not in his future. That would be a shame, if true, because becoming a threat from outside could lift his game to the next level and provide his Hornets teammates with better spacing and more scoring opportunities.
Naturally, no one should take it against Diabate if he would rather not potentially waste his time on a skill that he has not yet picked up the fundamentals of. His 60.3 percent efficiency from the free-throw line through his career could be a sign that his shooting mechanics are not that sound.
Still, can you imagine how scary it would be for opponents if "Moose" could make it splash from downtown?
Pick-and-roll situations with him as the screener would be more dynamic, as he could suddenly pop behind the 3-point line instead of running to the rim. In off-ball scenarios, his opponents would have to think twice before dropping low and trying to simply block his path to the paint when he attempts to cut because he could make them pay for leaving him with enough space to take a jumper.
However, Diabate's decision would likely continue to limit his scoring repertoire to putbacks, alley-oops, and being fed the ball inside the shaded area by the Hornets' playmakers.
Someone like Moussa Diabate becoming a 3-and-D big is not unprecedented
For now, the 23-year-old big man's choice is understandable. He is still in the early stages of his professional career and is in the midst of developing his raw talent. But years from now, he might want to consider adding a 3-point shot to his arsenal to boost his chances of becoming a starting-caliber five and commanding a significant amount of money in free agency.
The good news for Diabate is that there are other centers that we did not think were capable of turning into marksmen. A prime example is Brook Lopez, who was once a post savant before reinventing his game and evolving into the "Splash Mountain."
Only time will tell how Diabate progresses as a basketball player, but he should at least consider various avenues to hone his craft.