NBA Draft Scouting Report: Emmanuel Mudiay

Prospect Overview:

Mar 18, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Emmanuel Mudiay of Prime Prep Academy poses for a portrait. He is a finalist for the USA Today Player of the Year Award. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Measurable (Courtesy of Draftexpress.com): 6’5″, 200 pounds, 3/05/1996 (19 years old)

Unlike D’Angelo Russell, Emmanuel Mudiay was as sought after a recruit as there was in the country heading into the 2014-2015 season. Born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mudiay escaped the tumultuous situation in the early 2000s with his mother and two older brothers. Upon arriving in Texas, Mudiay quickly developed into one of the top prep guards in the country and the offers started to pour in for the eventual McDonald’s All-American.

With seemingly every school in the country in pursuit of the Dallas, Texas product, it was Larry Brown and SMU winning the Mudiay sweepstakes in somewhat of a stunner. Having built the Mustangs into a respectable program in his two seasons, Brown figured to vault SMU into the national conversation with the biggest coup of the recruiting period.

The Brown-Mudiay union was not to be, however. With reported concerns over amateurism issues, Mudiay made the decision to head to China and signed with Guangdong of the China Basketball Association. The top prep point guard in the country would instead put his talents up against the likes that one of the world’s top professional leagues had to offer as he prepared for the 2015 NBA Draft.

Mudiay did not provide the expansive look to scouts that many may have hoped, suffering an ankle injury not even 10 games into the CBA season. He would return for the team’s playoff series against the team from Beijing. Working through the rust of missing the amount of time he did add a result of his bum ankle, Mudiay performed admirably in a five-game series loss for Guangdong. He would return to the United States with his status as a top draft prospect in tact, for the most part.

Mudiay has already reportedly scheduled or partaken in workouts/interviews with several of the teams toward the top of the draft, including the Sixers.