NBA teams overlook centers in the draft year after year. Traditional big men who can contribute to winning fall through the cracks because they don’t have the same scoring/creation appeal as other positions. The teams that do take chances on these guys end up being rewarded more often than not, and that’s exactly what’s happening right now for the Dallas Mavericks with Moussa Cisse.
Welcome back to Two-Way Talents! This series highlights two-way contract players across the association that are balling out and staking a claim for a bigger role. The goal is to give unknown players the attention they deserve. The first installment of the 2025-26 season is about Moussa Cisse, the big fella making a big impact for the Mavs off the bench.
Cisse went undrafted this past summer, ultimately signing an Exhibit 10 deal as a free agent with Dallas. He had to fight to earn his two-way spot in Summer League and preseason. The rookie was the last man to crack the roster, but he’s now making a case to become a full-time backup. How? Cisse understands exactly what his team needs from him and he’s executing at a high level.
The big man’s college stats don’t exactly turn heads. In five seasons, he averaged 6.2 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting 56.1% from the field and 43.8% (yikes) from the free throw line. However, two things from his prospect profile do stick out, and they’re what he’s now hanging his hat on in the NBA. First, Cisse is a physical freak. At the 2025 G League Elite Camp, he measured in at 6’11”, 220lbs with a 7’5” wingspan and a 9’3” standing reach. The dude is massive and he knows how to use his size. He also has a phenomenal motor and is relatively quick and agile, which separates him from lumbering paint beasts. Second, he’s an excellent interior defender. In college, he averaged 1.7 blocks. In the NBA, he’s averaging 1.4 in just 11.2 minutes per game.
This play is the perfect representation of how Cisse is able to use his physical gifts, hustle and defensive know-how in harmony to make impact plays. He envelopes Jaylen Wells at the rim, completely smothering his layup attempt. Then, he gallops down the floor like a gazelle, touching paint before Memphis has the time to get set defensively. The speed at which he crosses the court gives him an open runway to complete the highlight alley-oop. The motivation and energy Cisse displays here are what all coaches dream of seeing from their centers.
Here’s another example of how Cisse’s willingness to run out in transition creates easy opportunities. He sprints into the screen for Russell, slips it, then rolls with a purpose before soaring above the grounded Brook Lopez for the and-one slam. Lazy rolling seriously muffles the effectiveness of a pick-and-roll. Cisse doesn’t cause that problem.
On defense, Cisse’s motor allows him to hedge and recover against screens, and Dallas has employed him this way often. Here, as Thompson lags behind on the pick, Cisse steps up to take away the pullup jumper from Booker. Once Klay gets through, he re-attaches himself to his man on the roll before snapping into action and turning away Royce O’Neale, who blew by Cooper Flagg. This was a solid team stop for the Mavs and Cisse made it possible.
Cisse’s helpside instincts are sharp, and his ridiculous length gives him the capacity to make some unbelievable recovery plays. He can get to shots most defenders can’t and makes rotations in a more timely manner than a lot of other guys of his size. This is another hedge-and-recover for Cisse that ends in him swallowing up the drive of John Collins.
His offensive bag is limited, but Cisse puts himself in positions to score easy points inside with his hustle and feel for his role. The Memphis product feasts on rolling finishes, putbacks and dunker-spot jams. He’s shooting 76.2% from the field on the year, and 61.9% of his makes have been dunks.
Moussa Cisse is the definition of a difference-maker as a role player. He plays to his strengths and maximizes his natural traits, but he also cares so much and goes harder than everyone else on the floor. He’s yet another example of why center prospects need more eyes during the draft cycle, because he’s outperforming a lot of guys that heard their names called in June. Get this guy on your radar ASAP— he’s going to be a full-time rotation player in this league.
For more on the undervaluation of centers in the draft, check out this article from June!
The Bench Mob Blog 