While watching New Orleans Pelicans rookie Cheick Diallo rapidly run the floor, leap for rebounds and extend his long arms to block shots, it can be easy to forget that the second-round pick is only 20 years old and a relative newcomer to basketball. A casual observer also may not realize that Diallo is one of the NBA’s least experienced players, having logged a total of just 202 minutes in his one collegiate season at Kansas. By comparison, fellow Pelicans first-year pro Buddy Hield played 4,182 minutes for Oklahoma.
Deep into his debut season with New Orleans, the 6-foot-9, 220-pounder hasn’t gotten a ton of reps at the NBA level yet, with 94 regular season minutes under his belt, but he’s been using the D-League to pick up invaluable pointers and experience.