The Auburn Tigers have massively overhauled their basketball roster over the last two seasons, though there is one addition from this past offseason that stands out from the pack: Narcisse Ngoy. The seven-footer was approved for two years of eligibility on Thursday, and he's already turning heads in the national media.
In fact, on Friday, The Athletic's CJ Moore released his list of the 11 best international newcomers in basketball, and Ngoy found himself on that list.
"Ngoy is massive – a 7-footer with a 7-foot-7 wingspan – and does most of his damage around the basket, trying to dunk everything," Moore wrote. "He's an excellent offensive rebounder, keeping his hands high and pushing defenders with his lower half to avoid foul calls. Defensively, he's a gifted shot blocker… He's best kept in the paint and best suited to play drop coverage in the pick-and-roll."
It's not hard to see why analysts are high on Ngoy-after all, the Los Angeles Clippers have already selected him with a second-round pick in this past NBA draft-but the impact he could bring to the Plains may be enough to turn the Tigers into top-level contenders after a slight dip last season.
Ngoy represents what could be a new, big-man-focused era of Auburn basketball, as the team boasts several top-tier paint protectors, including Ngoy, 7-foot-1 Santa Clara transfer Bukky Oboye, 6-foot-10 Creighton transfer Owen Freeman and 6-foot-8 Troy transfer Thomas Dowd, all of whom will need to be able to match up with the SEC's best.
Ngoy, though, has already proven his ability to dominate even when surrounded by professionals, as while playing for Poitiers Basket 86 in the French Elite 2 league, he led the league in blocks per game (2.5) and rebounds per game (11.5) on top of averaging over 10 points per game.
The Tigers struggled a bit in the big man department last season, as the team's leading big, KeShawn Murphy, averaged just 6.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game last season and was notably absent from the Tigers' NIT run. For comparison, Keyshawn Hall, a guard, averaged 7.1 rebounds and 0.6 blocks per game.
With proven overseas talent joining the Tigers' roster, Steven Pearl's group looks stronger than ever as they prepare for their upcoming exhibition matchups against Florida State, Alabama and Samford this month, before tipping off regular season play against Southeastern Louisiana on Nov. 4.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/auburn as Why This Auburn Basketball Newcomer is an Impact Player.