In this year's NBA Draft, N'faly Dante, a fifth-year Malian from the University of Oregon, ended up being an undrafted player. However, he signed a two-way contract with the Houston Rockets quickly after the draft, and he was one of the luckier players in the draft.
Born in October 2001, the 22-year-old is a physically gifted interior player. According to the data of the previous joint trial physical test, Dante's bare foot height is 208.3cm, the arm span is 228.6cm, the standing touch height is 281.9cm, and the weight is 118kg. Dante's static talent is top-notch, his arm span is the No. 3 of all players, his striking height is the No. 5 of all players, and even if he's a little lower, his other stats are definitely pretty good. Comparatively speaking, Dante's dynamic talent is not stellar. His switchback speed is still good, one of the best among all players, but his bounce and 3/4 sprint speed are average, and his three-second zone four-point movement speed is a bit worse. Considering Dante's size and weight, his athleticism can't be considered particularly bad either.
In the NCAA this season, Dent played a total of 22 games for the team, averaging 31.4 minutes per game, averaging 17 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.7 steals, 1.9 blocks per game, and 2.4 turnovers, shooting 69.5% from the field and 61.3% from the free throw line. Dent has also been very good this season, showing strong individual ability on both ends of the floor, his offensive efficiency under the basket is excellent, and as long as he can get to the position, it looks difficult for opponents to limit him. On top of that, Dante is also very good on the defensive end, he has a pretty good ability to protect the basket, and he can also use his natural strengths in terms of physical talent and confrontation ability to create a lot of threats for opponents. At least in the NCAA, Dent is an all-around interior player who can play both offense and defense. If it weren't for his age and a serious knee injury, Dante's draft would never have been so low.
For the Rockets, being able to sign such an interior player with high instant combat power and indeed playing at a pretty good level in the NCAA with a two-way contract is also a big bargain. The Rockets also tried out Dent before, and they should have had a more comprehensive assessment of Dent's ability. In this way, Dante should indeed impress the Rockets uniform team in the tryout. Dante will also need to continue to work hard in the upcoming Summer League, and he will need to find a way to earn himself a chance to stay with the team. I don't know if we'll see the name of the Malian inside gate on the Rockets' roster next season.