Jeff Le-Imagn Images
By Hunt Palmer
Will Wade’s first roster has its first piece.
After a more than a week of public silence, LSU reeled in a commitment from Mouhamed Dioubate of Kentucky. Don’t mistake that silence for lack of activity. Wade and his staff have been busy on Zoom interviews and laying the foundation for the 2026-27 team.
Dioubate’s commitment is the first and most certainly won’t be the only this week. Expect a flurry of activity as LSU must start from zero with this roster. Wade knew the challenge when he accepted the job, and he’ll get a group put together.
It’s one piece at a time.
WHAT WE KNOW
Dioubate has played three seasons in the SEC. He spent his first two at Alabama under Nate Oats and played for Mark Pope at Kentucky in 2025-26. He’s played in 101 career games with 10 starts, and his three teams have all played in the NCAA Tournament.
The first thing we know for sure is that he’s old, experienced and has contributed to a lot of winning in his collegiate career.
Dioubate is 6-foot-7 and 220 pounds. He’s long, physical and very athletic. Last season, mainly coming off the bench at Kentucky, he averaged 8.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game over 31 games. He also blocked 31 shots and grabbed 30 steals.
Those numbers basically mirror his effort as a sophomore at Alabama when he played 37 games and averaged 7.2 points and 5.9 rebounds while creating 35 steals and blocking 25 shots.
His shooting touch has never been a strength. Dioubate is a career 60 percent free throw shooter, but that number has gotten better each year (47% to 61% to 65%). He does not shoot the ball from the perimeter much. Over the last two seasons, he’s played in 68 games and attempted 54 threes. He made just 21 percent of them at Kentucky.
That doesn’t mean he can’t score. Dioubate scored in double figures 11 times at Kentucky and posted 17 in the NCAA Tournament opener against Santa Clara. He shot 60% from two-point range as a Wildcat.
THE FIT
It’s hard to fit into a team where you’re the only rostered player, but Dioubate’s role is pretty well defined even without a teammate. He’s going to do what he’s been asked to do for three years and what Wade had a couple of notable players do his first time in Baton Rouge.
Dioubate is a defense-first wing who plays extremely hard and tough. Think about Marlon Taylor on the wing and Emmitt Williams on the block. That’s Dioubate, roughly.
The senior will likely draw the other team’s best wing scorer defensively, and he’ll be a blue-collar guy on the offense end. Guards don’t often like to rebound. That’s no problem with Dioubate. He led Kentucky in rebounding in eight games this season.
On the offense end, he’ll work the glass and does his best work as a cutter. That 6-foot-7 length allows him to finish at the rim around bigs and over or through shorter players.
Mo Dioubate will visit St. John’s today. The Queens native would be a seamless plug and play fit for Rick Pitino. 6’8 tough guy who crashes boards, has an underrated offensive game and has played 3 years in the SEC. #sjubb pic.twitter.com/GmHWKmLXrk
— Dave (@SJUDave) April 14, 2026
What he does create for himself often comes from the high post or short corner. He can use his strength to get to a spot on the floor and shows some pretty soft left-handed touch inside six feet.
He doesn’t facilitate much. He’s a finisher and a screener with eyes on rebounding.
HUNT’S PROJECTION
If Rick Pitino and Nate Oats want you, you can play. Oats got him out of high school, and Pitino was very interested in the Queens native in this cycle.
It’s impossible to know if Dioubate is a starting player when he’s literally the only guy on the roster, but my guess is that he is. Either way, this is a guy who has willingly accepted his role on three teams, and it hasn’t really involved starting.
These are the types of players you have to have to win. You have to guard the perimeter. You have to win the backboard. You have to be old and strong. These are nonnegotiables unless you’re Duke and can grab three lottery picks out of the high school ranks every year.
Unsung hero from both Tennessee wins: Mo Dioubate.
Kentucky missed late free throws with just a 1-point lead in both games, but Mo D grabbed the offensive board both times. Easily could have been 0-2 in these games without his energy on the boards. pic.twitter.com/uMk7HQddub
— WT – Mo D Enthusiast (@WildcatsTongue) February 10, 2026
That’s why I really like this addition for exactly what it is.
Dioubate is not going to become a 16 point per game guy or up his three point shooting percentage to 38%. He’s not going to be an 85% guy from the free throw line. He’s not going to handle the ball a ton, either. That’s all okay. He’s going to add toughness, effort and experience to this roster.
Again, my guess is that he starts and scores 8 to 10 points per game. He’ll be among LSU’s best perimeter rebounders and will draw some really tough defensive assignments in the SEC. The good news is that I don’t have to project whether or not he can handle that. He’s done it for three seasons.
More LSU Stories
