Babacar Fam

Babacar Fam, 6-7, Point Forward, Frankfurt, 1999

Strengths
-Interesting physical profile at 6' 7.5” with a 7' 1” wingspan, wide shoulders, and above average explosiveness. Finishes above the rim with relative ease.
-High energy athlete. Flies around on both ends of the floor. Will rebound outside of his area – 10.0 per 40. Rotates from the weakside for blocks – 1.9 per 40. Rarely takes plays off.
-Versatile defensively. Length and leaping ability allowed him to play some small-ball five for stretches. Can sit down and defend the perimeter. Should be able to check most wings. Good feet. Makes up for technique errors with effort.
-Active off the ball offensively. Finds soft spots in the defense. Doesn't have all that much skill but makes himself available and can finish around the rim thanks to his length and explosiveness. Doesn't shy away from contact.
-Has a little bit of a feel. Plays with some patience. Understands his strengths and weaknesses. Can pass from the interior a little bit – 1.9 assists to 1.5 turnovers per 40.
-Good teammate. Very intelligent. Studying business.

Weaknesses
-Undersized relative to his skill set – really a 6' 7.5” power forward/center.
-Very limited as a scorer. Unorthodox mechanics on his jumper. Doesn't have much touch around the rim. Not going to attack often in a straight line and certainly won't play out of a ball screen.
-A little light. Doesn't quite have the natural size or strength to defend on the interior – 180 pounds.
-Has some feel, but not the most talented passer.
-Left hand dominant offensively.
-Defensive instincts have room to improve. Comes up with occasional steals and blocks by virtue of his tools and motor but his awareness is just OK.
-Fundamentals guarding the perimeter have room to improve. Too upright. Doesn't have great technique on closeouts.
-Overall upside appears limited

Outlook
Fam, a Dakar, Senegal native, has had quite the journey to get to Gran Canaria, with stops in Tenerife and Real Madrid. He's far from the most polished prospect, but his motor, athleticism, and defensive versatility make him at least worth a bookmark over the course of the next few years. He's not quite an NBA prospect at this time due to his lack of elite size and skill, but he's worth keeping an eye on because of his length, mentality and defensive versatility in a switch heavy era that's short on wing defenders.

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