Recalled this Thursday by the Spurs, after a 13-point game earlier in the day in a victory against the South Bay Lakers (131-126), Sidy Cissoko (1m98, 19 years old) could have become the first player since Drew Eubanks (in 2019) to play two Spurs matches in one day.
But, unfortunately, Gregg Popovich did not call on him during San Antonio's umpteenth defeat against Minnesota (114-105). The Texan technician still advocates patience with his other 19-year-old tricolor nugget.
“He has his minutes with the G-League team”justifies Popovich in Express News. “I want him to have as many minutes as possible [avec eux]. He's doing the best he can and trying to figure out what player he's going to be, like every other guy in the G-League at the end of the day. »
Arriving at the age of 13 in Spain, in the Vitoria training center, Cissoko waited until he came of age to cross the Atlantic and be part of the G-League “junior” team, Team Ignite. Which notably allowed him to participate in the All Star Weekend last year in Salt Lake City.
The credo remains the same: shine in defense to find a place
For his second year in the antechamber of the Great League, Cissoko averages 12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block and 1 interception in 21 appearances. A solid and versatile production as desired, but without any real notable performance either, apart from his season record of 22 points and 9 rebounds last December 28 (only two games with 20 points or more this year)…
And then, even more worrying knowing his position as a fullback, he went from 30 to 15% on 3-points between last season and the current season. Not necessarily enough to reassure you to pass the NBA “cut” where things are going in all directions.
“You just have to be patient. Pop tells me all the time to stay patient and stay ready. So, I stay patient and continue to learn the game. The first thing for me is to play hard on defense. This role suits me perfectly and I try to be the best defender in the team here. »
Appearing five times with the Spurs for snatches of minutes (1 point, 1 rebound in 6 minutes) this season, we imagine that the kid from St Maurice will want to claim more responsibilities in the near future.
With a stabilized outside shot…
| Sidy Cissoko | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2023-24 | SAN | 5 | 6 | 16.7 | 0.0 | 100.0 | 0.0 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 1.2 |
| Total | 5 | 6 | 16.7 | 0.0 | 100.0 | 0.0 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 1.2 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
