Clippers basketball returns tonight with a preseason contest against the Lakers, but our player preview series for the 2021 season continues with second-year big man Mfiondu Kabengele.
Basic Information
Height: 6’9
Weight: 250 pounds
Position: Center/Power Forward
Age: 23
Years in NBA: 1
Key Stats: Averaged 3.5 points and 0.9 rebounds in 5.3 minutes per game across 12 NBA games on 43.8/45/100 shooting splits.
G-League Stats: Averaged 18.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.9 blocks in 31.3 minutes per game across 31 games played on 48.4/32.7/81 shooting splits.
Contract Status: In second year of a standard four-year rookie deal with team options in 2022 and 2023, earning $2.075M this season.
Expectations
After a rookie season where Fi didn’t crack 65 minutes in the NBA and spent much of the year in the G-League or in a suit on the bench, expectations simply can’t be too high for Kabengele. He’s in his second NBA season sure, and has a full year of professional nutrition, conditioning, and practicing, but there’s not much on-court evidence that he’s ready for a rotational role with an NBA team, much less one that has championship aspirations.
There’s also not a ton of minutes available for Fi. Marcus Morris and Ivica Zubac are locked in as starters at power forward and center, with Serge Ibaka a lock to play 25 minutes at the big man positions. Solid veteran Patrick Patterson will likely mop up whatever minutes are left, with Nic Batum also a possibility to play at power forward at times. That leaves (maybe) a 5th big man spot for Mfiondu, and even then he will have competition from 2020 2nd round pick Daniel Oturu, who the Clippers just invested in and has a more NBA-ready game.
All that said, Ibaka, Morris, and Patterson are all in their 30s, and seem likely to miss time with rest or injury. If multiple of those players are out (which will probably happen at some point), Fi or Oturu would be in line with actual minutes. In that case, whichever of them wins out for the 5h big man role will need to be ready to go and give the Clippers some solid rotation time.
Strengths
While Fi shot just 32.7% from three in the G-League, his volume was extremely high for a player with his size and athleticism. He has a smooth, easy, and quick three-point shot, and should be an above-average floor spacer from the center spot right away. If Fi gets actual minutes, I’d guess that more than half of his shots will come from distance, as teams will probably leave him open from there (until he starts punishing them), and the rest of his offensive game is less well developed.
Fi is also a big, athletic body who is a capable rim protector, as shown by his G-League block numbers. Players have a difficult time finishing over him around the basket, and that can deter players from even attacking the basket in the first place. His rebounding numbers are also solid, if not spectacular, and he should be able to hold his own as a rebounder at the NBA level.
Importantly, Fi is a guy who plays with a ton of heart and energy. He’s always moving on the court, bounding from one spot to another, and is more than willing to dive on the floor for loose balls. That kind of activity possesses value on its own, and you always know Fi is going to give 100%. Finally, he’s just a very good dude who people like to be around and play with – something that can’t be underestimated.
Weaknesses
Simply put, Fi doesn’t quite have a lot of the fundamentals of the game down. He’s gotten this far through sheer talent and athleticism, but was a latecomer to basketball, and it shows. Despite his impressive block numbers, he’s frequently in the wrong place defensively, and is not good when taken outside of the radius of the hoop. Pick and roll coverage is not a strong point either, nor is making more than one rotation in a scramble defense setting. While he would probably function ok in drop coverage, he would be a bad NBA defender if given minutes, and it could get ugly at times with teams particularly adept at moving the ball or running the PnR.
Offensively, Fi suffers from much the same issue. He can shoot, and he can dunk, but the decision-making just isn’t there (as seen by his vastly negative assist to turnover ratios at the college and G-League levels). He’s improved there, but still, if you’re giving him the ball on offense, most of the time you should only be asking him to shoot it or make an extremely simple pass on the perimeter. Anything more and you’re begging for a turnover. The modern NBA is a very fast-paced, quick-reaction type of league, and Fi right now does not fit that mold on either end of the court.
Summary
Mfiondu is ahead of where he was last year, but the overall expectations for him should be fairly low. He will likely play more than the 64 minutes he logged in his rookie season, yet remain out of Ty Lue’s regular rotation. While last year wasn’t a completely lost year, Fi’s future remains just as uncertain as it was on draft day a year and a half ago. A long-term project, another year without much NBA playing time probably wouldn’t be a death knell on Fi’s NBA prospects, but he’s also already 23, and if more progress isn’t made, he could be out of the NBA sooner than later.
