2016 NBA Draft: Kentucky’s Skal Labissiere

With Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol both looking doubtful to return to Chicago next season, the Chicago Bulls are going to need some bodies on their front line. He’s a project, but Kentucky’s Skal Labissiere could help address their need for a big.

Skal Labissiere’s lone season under John Calipari at Kentucky was the perfect description of the word, “enigma”. There were times where you saw the potential that had him near the top of every draft board early in the college hoop season and there were times where his eyes looked just as big as his role playing for college basketball’s gold standard.

Labissiere battled confidence issues all season long after a promising start against Kentucky’s lighter part of the schedule and was even moved to the bench in the middle portion of the year. After nine straight games late in the season, including a scoreless eight-minute performance against Wade Baldwin IV and Vanderbilt, the light bulb appeared to come on.

In games against Florida and LSU — two teams in the SEC regular season title picture — Labissiere scored 29 combined points and pulled down 17 rebounds in the two games to help Kentucky clinch a share of the SEC regular season title. Labissere’s best game of the season came against projected No. 1 pick Ben Simmons and the LSU Tigers in the season finale, scoring 18 points, grabbing nine rebounds and blocking six(!) shots.

At times, Labissiere looked the part of a NBA lottery pick. His body isn’t even close to filling out yet (216 pounds), but he’s a shade under seven-feet tall and utilizing that 7’2.5″ wingspan to block and alter shots. Only Texas’ Prince Ibeh blocked more shots per 40 minutes than Labissere’s 4.2 last season, according to DraftExpress’ Top 100 Prospect database.

How Skal Labissiere can help the Bulls:

After Labissiere’s two breakout games late in the year against Florida and LSU, I wrote on why his confidence came back. It was quite simple: put him in the spots on the floor where he wants to be.

When Calipari used Labissiere as a screener for his dynamic guard duo of Jamal Murray and Tyler Ulis, teams would bumrush the guards, which allowed Labissiere to fade out for open looks (where he wants to be).

LSU wasn’t a good defensive team (despite the hype around Simmons) all season, but in this pick-and-pop with Ulis, watch how Labissiere sets the screen and preps himself immediately for the open look. LSU’s guards hedged the screen too hard, while Labissiere’s man got completely lost drifting towards Ulis and it was all she wrote on that possession.

This is what Labissiere can do.

Teams will swarm to cut off lanes for slashers like Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler can be off of screens, so having a big like Labissiere that can keep the defense honest is a nice piece to have.

Guys like former Bulls draft pick LaMarcus Aldridge have made a great career off of being able to hit shots from the perimeter inside the arc. In due time, Labissiere might be able to add the three-point shot with his touch and form, seeing as that’s what the NBA is going to with big men being able to shoot from long range.

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He can play with his back to the basket, but his development on the blocks will take more time. The thing that will help Labissiere there is his touch. He has such a fluid and soft shot for a player his size. With time, patience and some hours in the weight room, his offensive game will expand further.

Defensively, it’s still a work in progress for Labissiere. Despite his thin frame at 216 pounds, Labissiere is lightning-quick off his feet and nimble. He’ll get bullied on the glass on both ends of the floor, but he uses his length to disrupt shots from all areas of the floor effectively.

During his best game of the year, his best play of that game probably came on the defensive end. Ben Simmons was on his way to leading SportsCenter with a top-10 play in transition after a behind-the-back move and dish to a big, but Labissiere shut the highlight down quick.

With Murray and Ulis trying to slow down Simmons’ drive and not having much success doing it, Labissiere rotated over to help the guards shut down a shot attempt. Simmons’ vision is part of why he’ll likely go No. 1 overall this month and he makes the right read to dish the ball to Craig Victor.

The issues for Victor is that Labissiere not only tracked the ball well here, he rotated back, exploded straight up and forced a terrible shot attempt.

Labissiere’s mobility is why he averaged 4.2 blocks per 40 minutes last season.

If the Bulls take Skal Labissiere if he’s available at No. 14:

Labissiere and Michigan State’s Deyonta Davis are in the same boat if either lands in Chicago on draft night.

They’re both projects who favor one side of the floor over the other. Davis is a defensive demon, while Labissiere is more comfortable playing a finesse game offensively.

But, both can provide size up front and a presence at the rim.

Pau Gasol is likely already out the door in his own mind, Joakim Noah’s situation is strange after conflicting reports, Taj Gibson will likely be a cog in trade rumors for months, Nikola Mirotic is the farthest thing from a defensive option and Bobby Portis was bad defensively in his rookie season.

Next: 2016 NBA Draft: Michigan State's Deyonta Davis

The Bulls are going to need help up front and Labissiere (if available) at No. 14 could help work on addressing that need for a big if they can’t land someone like Ian Mahinmi or Bismack Biyombo in free agency.