Doumsday is Upon Us

Image: Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images

The Detroit Pistons are currently sitting at 13-24 and three and a half games out of the playoff picture and are quickly becoming a “seller” rather than a “buyer.” Going into the 2019-20 season, many believed that Detroit would be in contention for a top-five playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. However, due to injuries that have not been the case for the Pistons.

Doumbouya was once thought of as a top-10 pick, but due to his age (he turned 19 Dec. 23) Doumbouya slipped to the Pistons at 15. Due to his raw talent, he has spent the majority of his rookie season playing for the Pistons G League affiliate Grand Rapids Drive. During his time with the Drive, he dominated the G League, putting up averages of 16.5 points, 5.3 assists and 1.5 assists on 49-38-81 splits in 15 games.

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Doumbouya fans all across Twitter have been pleading for the Pistons to put the 19-year-old in the rotation. With the latest injury bug that has caught the Pistons, he has gotten his chance and so far has made the most of it.

https://youtu.be/14B-RFqOt4g

During a morning film session on January 2, head coach Dwane Casey told him that he would be an NBA starter for the first time in his career, against Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers.

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Detroit ended up losing 126-112, however, Doumbouya was the highlight of this game, putting up his first career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds, as well as a steal (which came against Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard).

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Doumbouya became the first Pistons rookie to record a double-double in his first start since Henry Ellenson in 2016 and only the fourth teenager to have a double-double as a Piston.

https://twitter.com/austin_drake/status/1212977112820391938

If having a double-double in his first start was not impressive enough, how would you like two of them? Well, that’s exactly what he did against the Golden State Warriors in a 111-104 victory.

Doumbouya had an amazing game, putting up 16 points and 10 rebounds, as well as two steals and a block. What might have been the most impressive thing about this game was one particular sequence.

https://twitter.com/PalaceOfPistons/status/1213651076764831744

Doumbouya came over with the help defense to block Warriors rookie Jordan Poole at the rim and then proceeded to hit a trailing three only nine seconds into the shot clock. The amount of court awareness shown here is really impressive for someone who was considered a raw prospect. With the Pistons getting closer and closer to hitting the rebuild button, it’s time that the Pistons insert Doumbouya into the rotation full-time along with the rest of the young core.

https://twitter.com/AJohnsonNBA/status/1213672176475348995

Doumbouya made his third consecutive start against Lebron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. Even though Sekou was up against two future hall of famers in LeBron James and Anthony Davis, he held his own. He finished the night with 11 points and five rebounds. However, he did a good job of keeping James and Davis under control, even though he fouled out late in the game.

https://twitter.com/JRogersNBA/status/1214055502826627073

For making his first career starts and being thrown the task of guarding the likes of Leonard, Green, Lebron, and Davis, Doumbouya has played exceptional. With trade talk and injuries surrounding Detroit lately, I fully believe we will see much more of Sekou Doumbouya this season.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0IKqZreVv5mT1JPjJ5k2sM