Karim Mane settles on the NBA route
The final high-ranked prospect remaining in the 2020 class has come to a decision for where he will play his basketball in the fall. Karim Mane, after considering Alabama, DePaul, Marquette, Michigan State and Pitt, has has decided to keep his name in the 2020 NBA Draft and skip college.
Having graduated from high school a year ago and already 20 years old, Mane is eligible to enter this year’s NBA Draft. A five-star prospect that stands close to 6-foot-5 and is equipped with an NBA-ready body, Mane is one of the top talents from Canada that could garner interest towards the latter half of October’s draft.
“I felt very confident with the feedback that I got and I know and believe in myself as a basketball player and as a man,” Mane told Rivals.com. “Having a summer with the under-19 team and after that, it opened my eyes and I saw that I could compete with the best in the world.”
Mane played for the Canadian 19-under squad last year and is valued for his respectable size in the backcourt. At last year’s World Cup, Mane averaged 11.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. He made just over 32-percent of his 3-point tries and is equipped with a 6-foot-10 wingspan while weighing in at close to 200-pounds.
Not a great jump shooter but more of an attacking guard off the bounce, Mane has further upside to tap into that could catch the eye of NBA scouts. He offers great promise as a defender that can guard more than just one position along the perimeter thanks to his strength, size and lateral abilities.
“I think the main thing is my potential,” Mane said regarding what NBA teams have taken a liking to during the pre-draft process. “I didn’t start taking the game seriously until I was 16. Just my maturity and my love for the game and my will to get better.”
In the coming weeks, greater NBA personnel will take a larger dive into the tape of Mane where, for the most part, he has remained off the periphery compared to most others due to his play at Vanier College that played a schedule full of prep teams this winter. He could intrigue some due to his upward trajectory and the consistent need for good-sized playmakers built in Mane’s mold.