Bismack Biyombo won’t be one of the top four or five selections of the 2011 NBA Draft, but much of the run-up to the big day has been centered on his burgeoning game.

Biyombo was very new to the European stage this season and hit the radar of scouts thanks to some very intriguing minutes in the ACB. He then hit the mainstream on the strength of his performance in the Nike Hoop Summit, becoming the international talking point one season after draft mate Enes Kanter.

My opinion of Biyombo was formed largely on those ACB minutes, where he has a combination of size, athleticism and energy that is impossible to teach. At the time of my study, Jared Sullinger was still believed to be a candidate for the 2011 class and I firmly preferred Biyombo if you were given an either/or scenario. The class is so wide open that it has become a cliché, but Biyombo has a justifiable chance at being considered its best player six or seven seasons down the road.

While he is undeniably raw in his development, Biyombo has impressively advanced natural instincts. He also uses his length exceptionally well already, which is rare to see a player maximized in this way at his age.

For better and sometimes for worse, Biyombo is all over the place in terms of his energy. He doesn’t have a post game, nor can he shoot the ball, which creates the situation where his halfcourt usage almost exclusively comes as a screener and on cuts. Biyombo is basically an all-time screener, the way you have an all-time quarterback in a sandlot football game.

If you pair Biyombo with an excellent pure point guard like Chris Paul and he will do extremely well since he would be used to perfection in the pick and roll and he would have an excess of lob opportunities. When Biyombo is able to get into the air and finish lobs with his strength and agility, this is where scouts completely fall for his potential. He is a supremely physical scorer when he gets to the rim, especially in traffic.

When he is required to improvise or make some type of basketball move, his efficiency undoubtedly decreases. He goes up to the basket a little too slow from a set position on the ground, though he has demonstrated occasional glimpses of more sophistication.

On the defensive end of the floor, Biyombo is similarly all over the floor in that often times good, often times negative manner. He is frequently an overeager defender, which will require an adjustment but I’d rather have someone you need reel in than the opposite.

Biyombo will be a strong rebounder and he has the potential to become an elite shotblocker. He can block a shot while defending the post as easily as he can when coming over from the weak side. Biyombo also will successfully recover after being beat to contest or even block a shot near the bucket.

To be fair, Biyombo is too much of an unknown commodity to be drafted in the top-five, even this season. But players out of Africa have a good track record of vast improvement.