Frenchman Mouhammadou Jaiteh latched onto the Philadelphia 76ers‘ Summer League squad, and he’s a name worth watching with Las Vegas now in full swing.
With the Las Vegas Summer League now underway, most eyes are turned towards Philadelphia 76ers rookie Markelle Fultz. The reigning first overall pick has already gotten off to a good start in the early stages of his Sixers career, showing out in limited time against Jayson Tatum’s Celtics squad before exploding for 23 points against the Jazz while playing in Utah. After Lonzo Ball’s struggles Friday night, the anticipation surrounding Fultz’s initial game in Vegas has only increased.
Philadelphia 76ers
Fultz isn’t the only name worth watching, though. Along with last year’s first round picks in Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Furkan Korkmaz, Philadelphia is also rostering this year’s 36th pick in Jonah Bolden. That alone is four NBA-level talents, all of whom could play a role on the team next season.
Beyond that, the names get more interesting. There are former college studs who never gained traction in the NBA, as well as international pieces looking to force their way into the NBA discussion. One of those international pieces — and somebody who has hovered around the NBA radar for quite some time — is Mouhammadou Jaiteh.
Jaiteh combines the best first name and one of the most effective interior presences on the Sixers’ Summer League roster, with a repertoire that’s very much capable of translating against a higher level of competition. His physical tools are evident upon the eye test alone, while his skill set, albeit limited, has a niche in today’s league.
At 6-foot-11 with a 7-foot-4 wingspan, Jaiteh has length to spare around the rim. He’s light on his feet, getting off the ground with ease and bothering shots at a high clip around the rim. His shot blocking totals aren’t overwhelming — just 0.6 per game — but that can be attributed to both his role and his limited playing time overseas. We you extrapolate it on a per 40 basis, the total jumps up to 1.2 per contest.
Jaiteh spent the 2016-17 season on the same team as Frank Ntilikina, who went off the board eighth to the New York Knicks on draft night. Largely a pick-and-roll finisher in the halfcourt, Ntilikina’s length and court vision was a nice compliment to Jaiteh’s own physical tools when the two were able to play downhill. Neither of them played full starting minutes, but they did spend a reasonable amount of time working together.
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The Sixers, if Jaiteh were to grab onto a roster spot, whether it be two-way or not, could use him in a similar way. While he’d be shuffled behind Joel Embiid, Richaun Holmes, Amir Johnson and Jahlil Okafor on the depth chart, he’s the type of serviceable reserve that typically finds a spot in the league, even if it’s in limited minutes.
Jaiteh also runs the floor hard in transition, sprinting ahead of guards and providing an easy lob target at the end of fastbreaks. For a Sixers team with all the pieces requisite of an up-tempo roster behind Embiid, that attribute could prove important for Jaiteh’s fit in Brett Brown’s system.
His motor runs hard both ways as well, as he’s willing to play the role of spark plug offensively and defensively. Not many players with Jaiteh’s physical tools and energy level don’t latch on to an NBA team. The Sixers don’t need him, but he’s a legit player who has all the makings of somebody who can be successful in the States.
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It’s about time he comes over and gets his shot.