Amar Sylla first broke out and onto the NBA radars in 2018 during the FIBA U18s for Senegal, and since then he has continued to improve his stock as a prospect playing in Belgium. On the year, Sylla averaged 9.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 0.5 APG, 0.6 BPG, 1 BPG, and 1.1 TOPG on shooting splits of 52/16/67. Below is his full scouting report:
Name: Amar Sylla
Height/Weight: 6’9 / 190
Wingspan/ standing reach: N/A
Hand size: N/A
Position: PF/C
Country: Senegal
Tools: Defense, length, P&R
Pros:
- Mobile defender with shot blocking skill
- Plus athlete
- Ball handling upside; can change directions easily and can bring the ball up the court
- Projectable frame with long arms
- Versatile defender that can guard perimeter and protect the rim
- Active hands defensively
- Outstanding recovery ability; he can reach and recover with ease
- Moves with grace for his size
- Excellent touch off-balance
Cons:
- Needs to learn to defend without fouling/ using less hands
- Needs to improve jump shot form entirely- footwork needs lots of work
- Needs to add strength/weight
- Can be reckless attacking the basket
- Needs to develop right hand
- Defensive awareness
Overall:
Amar Sylla is a raw forward with potential to defend multiple positions and potential to have some guard skills. In order to tap into his unique upside profile, he needs to get better at eliminating mistakes and overall refining his skills. Sylla can often lack awareness on the defensive end, and he can be prone to fouling due to defending with his hands. Offensively, his rawness shows when he plays out of control, particularly as a slasher and near the rim. He forces a lot of shots at the rim, even though he is a strong finisher at the rim in terms of touch and athleticism. He also commits too many offensive fouls at the rim, most of them being avoidable. However, Sylla is one of the best P&R roll men in the draft class, and this is largely in part due to his fearlessness and ability to hit tough shots at the rim at any angle. With his finishing ability combined with his size and excellent athleticism, Sylla should be able to see his P&R skill translate, which is arguably the most important offensive skill for a big man in today’s NBA. If Sylla can put it all together, an ideal outcome revolves around his jumper evolving, his playmaking flashes carrying over, and his defense making his versatility stronger.
Similar to: Pascal Siakam, Quincy Acy, Sir’Dominic Porter
Projected draft range: 50-undrafted
Expected role: Upside project as a combo big
Unplayable if: Raw tools never develop into tangible skillsets. He never ends up as a shooter, and his basketball IQ never improves enough to stay on an NBA floor.
Exceeds expectations if: Jump shot develops to 30+ percent from 3, and his plus toolset turns into tangible skill and production.
Shot chart:
