Thoughts on Lamine Diane
March 23rd, 2020
by Alan Lu
This time around, I decided to take the time to watch Cal State Northridge’s 6-7 redshirt sophomore swingman, Lamine Diane play in a college basketball game against UC Irvine that took place on March 4th, as I was able to see this via WatchESPN. Though it was against a mid-major team, he played against a team that ended having the best in-conference record out of Big West Conference teams. I came away rather impressed with Lamine Diane, as he is an athletic, versatile swingman that could excel on both ends of the floor in the association. Here are my thoughts on how he fared that day, as well as how his game may translate to the NBA.
Lamine Diane is a versatile scorer that excelled at scoring on hustle plays. He runs the floor well, and he was able to drive the ball up court after blocking a shot to score on an emphatic dunk in transition. He also will actively crash the glass to get offensive rebounds, and he was to score on a tip-in off of his own miss. He also did a good job of drawing fouls upon his defenders to get to the foul line, as he was able to do so off of a cut and off of an offensive board another time. On the downside, Diane did not make many of his free throws in this game.
He also showed an adequate ability to score off the dribble. Diane has a quick first step to the hoop as well as a very good pump fake move, and he showed a knack for scoring on crafty reverse layups off the glass. He especially seems to excel at driving to his left, and he also has good body control to score in traffic. Sometimes though, he may be prone to rushing his moves too quickly, and he also missed once when trying to go to his right to score on a drive.
Also, Diane did an adequate job of scoring in the post. He was able to use a quick pump fake to score on a one-legged, turnaround fadeaway jumper, and Diane is an agile player that possesses good footwork and shooting touch to score around the basket. However, there was another play where he missed on an off-balanced, step-through leaner, as he can sometimes be prone to forcing up tough shots that can lead to misses.
He also showed the ability to knock down jumpers to provide some floor spacing for his team. Diane has a nice pump fake move that can quickly get defenders in the air, and he would dribble in to score on smooth, pull-up jumpers from the mid-range area. He also was able to make an open, spot-up three from the top of the key. However, he also struggled to make jump shots consistently, and he also would tend to force up tough, off-balanced shots a bit too much.
He also displayed decent playmaking skills. Diane did a good job of looking to find the open man, as he would swing the ball to open shooters to set up scores for them. Plus, he also can pass out of double teams, and he did a good job of passing out of the post to get his teammates the basketball. He also would bring the ball up the court, and he is a good ball handler, as he would sometimes operate as the team’s point center on the court. On one play, he was able to use a pump fake and a behind the back dribble move before passing the ball back to a shooter. He also will set screens for his teammates. On the downside, he can sometimes be prone to throwing hasty passes, and he threw an inaccurate pass once that sailed out of bounds. He seems to have a fairly high dribble, so he might have a tougher time handling the ball from smaller, quicker defenders that would be adept at taking the ball away.
He also did a decent job of rebounding the basketball. He would leap up to haul in boards on both ends of the floor, and sometimes he would bring the ball up after getting defensive boards for his team. Sometimes though, he would allow offensive boards in his area, and he also was called for committing an over the back foul once when going for an offensive rebound.
Diane also played decent defense in this game. He is an active, rangy help defender that would rotate to block and alter shots to help his team protect the paint, as he possesses good length, timing, and instincts to do so. He did a good job of holding his ground when defending in the post, as he would contest shots to force misses, and he also managed to deflect an entry pass out of bounds. Diane also would look to challenge three-point shots force misses, and he also would sometimes sprint hard to get back on defense.
Sometimes though, he would allow scores in the post. On one play, he tried to front his man when defending on the block, but instead ended up allowing an easy catch and score around the basket. Other times, he would be prone to biting on pump fakes, which would lead him to commit fouls and allow scores. He also committed a foul once on a put-back due to over-aggressiveness. His team also played in a 2-3 zone in the second half, so he would defend an area rather than a person, but he there would be times where he would be caught in no man’s land, as he would not be in position to pick up a man or to cut off penetration on a drive, which would lead his team to give up scores to his opponents.
In summary, Lamine Diane is an athletic, skilled basketball player that could be a good find for an NBA team in the second round range of the 2020 draft. He will need to be a more consistent shooter in games and will need to prove that he can consistently play well against top notch competition, but he is an intriguing prospect that could end up being a solid role player in the association.
Other Notes:
While watching this game, there were a couple of other players that caught my eye. Cal State Northridge’s Elijah Harkless scored 30 points in his team’s win over UC Irvine, so he will definitely be a player to watch in the future.
Cal State Northridge’s 6-1 sophomore point guard, Elijah Harkless played very well, as he excelled as a shooter and scorer in his team’s win over UC Irvine. He is a strong driver that would barrel his way to the hoop to garner scores, and he also excelled at making spot-up threes and pull-up, mid-range jumpers. He also managed to score on a put back after grabbing an offensive board. He is a skilled scorer that can put up points in a hurry, and he could be a player to watch in college basketball in 2021.
UC Irvine’s 6-9 redshirt sophomore big man, Collin Welp excelled at making spot-up threes from well beyond the arc, and he also managed to knock one down off of a pick and pop play. He is a floor spacing, stretch big that can really shoot the basketball, and he could be a player to watch in college basketball next season.
