OKC Thunder: NBA Draft stock up stock down report 5.0
By Rylan Stiles
Silvio De Sousa, PF, Kansas
Everyone, please pour some out for Silvio De Sousa. He would’ve been on the stock down report prior to his massive brawl in Lawerence this week against the arch-rival Kansas State Wildcats. We can discuss the picking up of the stool, the staredown, the pushes, and the punches all we want. However, to me, that is not even the most interesting part of the entire sequence.
Let’s take this back to the offseason. When Silvio De Sousa was battling for his right to gain eligibility back from the NCAA and be cleared to re-join the Kansas Jayhawks lineup.
The last time we saw De Sousa on the hardwood he was, and I can not stress this enough, dominating the Big 12 competition on his way to being a key cog in the Jayhawks conference tournament win. He was only second fiddle to Hornets star Devonte Graham during a magic NCAA tournament run that saw the Jayhawks dance their way to the Final Four.
It is easy to see why when the NCAA did clear De Sousa prior to the 2019-20 season, there were parties on Mass. Street in Lawrence, Kansas. Fast forward to the middle of January. After De Sousa has spent all year struggling to find his fit within the new Jayhawks roster construction that features two talented bigs already, his draft stock has plummeted.
Surely it can’t be that bad right? Well, let’s just review the fight, shall we? And no, this will not be some grandstanding article about how that fight was “inexcusable” and an “embarrassment” as well as “a black eye for the sport.” or even that this now brings character concerns for the young big man.
Instead, I want to look at the fact De Sousa was playing in the closing minutes of an 81-60 blow out win over a bad Kansas State team. Still on the floor with the walk-on players, as the final buzzer was seconds away from sounding off. Then the fight happened and the rest is history.
When I put my first big board together and pegged Silvio De Sousa as a top-50 prospect entering the NBA Draft, I would have laughed at you and called you crazy if you would’ve predicted his season had gone this way.
De Sousa has been suspended until the final game of the regular season, so for all intents and purposes, he for sure has…five games left this season to impress NBA scouts at 21 years old. (That is the final home game, at least two big 12 tournament games, and two NCAA tournament games, it could get extended depending on how long the Jayhawks last). It doesn’t seem as if De Sousa will even be selected in the 2020 NBA Draft…or any draft class.
Silvio De Sousa is only averaging two points per game, two rebounds per contest, and almost a block on the other end. His inability to shoot the three-ball mixed with his struggles to score offensively this year has made a lot of people sour on the big fella.
I’ll raise my hand, I was wrong on Silvio De Sousa. Add him to the long line of Jayhawks I had high NBA hopes for, only to have them be total failures…looking at you, Josh Jackson.