Is Tacko Fall good enough for the NBA?

He might be one of the tallest players to have ever graced the NBA but there are substantial question marks over whether he will cut it in the long run.

Here we answer the question ‘is Tacko Fall good enough for the NBA?’

Who is Tacko Fall?

Tacko Fall is the biggest man in the NBA right now standing a 7’5 and operates as a center for the Boston Celtics. He started his career back in his homeland of Senegal where he grew up with his family. Remarkably, it wasn’t until the age of 16 that Fall realised he had a gift for the game of basketball; from that moment on though he’s been having dreams of making it in the NBA.

In the same year he turned 16, Fall – along with his father and one sibling – landed in the United States and, more specifically, Ohio. The English language and basketball became the two things Fall was desperate to learn.

College Years

When it came to choosing a college, Fall opted for a move to the University of Central Florida. He’d play center for their team and enjoyed a couple of impressive seasons with the school. Rather randomly, those college days also saw him come up against another Senegalese talent – Mamadou N’Diaye. As it happens, N’Diaye entered the NBA draft in 2016 but Fall remained in the college system where he continued to develop his game.

His all round game came on leaps and bounds but it was defensively where he really shone as he established himself as one of the best defensive players in the league with his development recognised in the form of the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year award.

Joining the NBA

After rounding off some rough edges at college Fall eventually opted for the 2019 NBA draft. A dream was at his finger tips. He went undrafted; thankfully for him, the Boston Celtics came back in for him. Immediately Tacko broke a record, becoming one of the top 10 tallest NBA players ever!

So, when people search “who are the tallest players in NBA history” Tacko’s name is likely to come up. Tacko and Boban Marjanovic are the only two players in activity that are included in that list.

So far, Fall hasn’t enjoyed too much time on the court for the Celtics but, that said, he has shown glimpses of his quality in his limited appearances with his best showing perhaps his second match where he sank 12 points.

The Celtics hierarchy aren’t fools though and the deal they’d offered Fall was a two-way contract that allows him to play for their G League side; it shouldn’t come as a surprise, but Tacko dominated during his time there, averaging 12.9 points and 11.1 rebounds per game.

So, is Tacko Fall good enough for the NBA?

Is Tacko Fall good enough for the NBA? That really is the big question and the answer isn’t a straightforward one. If you saw a player that possessed the same ability as Fall but stood one foot shorter, they’d have no hope of making it. The fact of the matter is though that when you stand at 7’5 you can afford to lack in certain elements.

Fall struggles with a couple of key areas of the game; his quickness and lateral movement pose him a problem whilst he can look lost when forced to defend on the perimeter.

It’s not all bad news though because there are plenty of aspects where Fall is more than adequate at the top level. He can obviously dunk the ball pretty well and his finishing around the rim is, as expected, solid.

He is also a tremendous rim protector and shot blocker. Will he make the grade at the top? We think he has enough to his game that he will but he’ll never be a superstar.

Gilbert Cox

“Prone to fits of apathy. Zombie ninja. Entrepreneur. Organizer. Evil travel aficionado. Coffee practitioner. Beer lover.”