2019 NBA Draft Prospect Profile: Tacko Fall
Let’s evaluate 2019 NBA Draft prospect Tacko Fall out of Central Florida, and whether or not, he is a potential fit for the Portland Trail Blazers.
Name: Tacko Fall
School: University of Central Florida
Position: Center
Projected Draft Position: Undrafted
The 2019 NBA Draft is now less than two months away, and the second round of the playoffs has begun. So, I have started to evaluate prospects for the upcoming draft. Let’s continue with Central Florida’s Tacko Fall.
Strengths
Size
Size is an obvious strength for Fall. He is 7’6″ with a wingspan of 8′ and weighs 311 pounds. There have only been four other players in NBA history that were 7’6″ or taller. Fall would be the first one since Yao Ming.
Rim Protection
It is hard to score on the 7’6″ Fall inside. His length allows him to contest almost every shot at the rim and recover on defensive mistakes with little consequence.
He averaged 2.6 blocks in his 24.9 minutes per game at Central Florida in his senior season, and he has not even reached his defensive potential yet.
Inside Scoring
Fall obviously can easily score around the rim. On the rare occasions he misses, he can typically grab the offensive rebound.
In his final collegiate season, Fall shot 74.8% from the field, which was second in all of Division 1.
Weaknesses
Shooting
Fall severely struggles to score outside the paint. Players can always expand their range, but the statistics are not pointing in Fall’s favor. His free-throw percentage has actually gotten worse during every season that he has been at Central Florida. It all culminated in his senior season where he only shot 36.2% from the line.
Fall will have to become an elite defender and finisher at the rim to warrant playing time at the next level.
Potential Fit
So is Fall a fit for the Blazers? He definitely needs to develop, but if Kanter leaves in free agency, Fall could be valuable in a small role. He is a mismatch every time he steps on the court and could even play alongside Collins or Leonard at times.
