Spurs: Floor, middle, and ceiling player comparisons for Sidy Cissoko

Before being formally introduced as a member of the San Antonio Spurs in a press conference at AT&T Center in late June, fellow Frenchmen and NBA draftees Victor Wembanyama and Sidy Cissoko spent part of their day introducing themselves one-by-one to fans gathered at the River Walk.

Spurs chairman Peter J. Holt and president R.C. Buford kicked off proceedings, then handed off MC duties to Spurs legend Sean Elliott so he could interview the rookies-to-be. First up to the stage was Cissoko; a short highlight clip played in the background as the 19-year-old confidently ambled through the crowd to meet Elliott.

The longtime Spurs lead analyst immediately opined, "[Watching] that clip there, I saw a little bit of Boris Diaw. Am I mistaken?"

You aren't wrong, Sean. It's a fair comparison in light of Cissoko displaying an intriguing combination of skill and size while playing with the G-League Ignite last year and coming up in the Spanish basketball league system. Per game, he averaged a well-rounded 12.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 3.6 assists to go along with a block and steal as an 18-year-old playing against grown men.

The Diaw parallel by itself falls somewhat short of encompassing all the facets of the recent draftee's game. Diaw, for example, wasn't near the same caliber defender as a young player as Cissoko is at this stage. Cissoko's all-around package inspired enough confidence in the Spurs organization to sign him outright to a reported three-year deal instead of a two-way contract that would typically be given to a teenage second-round pick.

Truthfully, coming up with one-to-one analogues for Cissoko's game was a challenge. There simply aren't many players who holistically offer his blend of traits. With that, we're going to have fun with this attempt to cobble together three potential career outcomes could look like for the 6'7 Saint-Maurice native.

The objective of this exercise is to identify skilled, burly players who blur the line between big guard, point forward, and slashing power wing to outline the ways Cissoko could provide value for the Spurs as he grows alongside the rest of the young core.