Illinois 85, The Citadel 57 POSTGAME
To make absolute statements like this is absolutely foolish.
He's getting better every game and I'm sorry but he is not raw. He is inexperienced. That's all. He's barely fouling, he's a damn good passer, he's got multiple low post moves over each shoulder. He's obviously worked his a** off to get in great shape. Agreed about the competition but that's legitimately your only decent point. We've seen him make that 12-foot jumper already but that truly doesn't matter. Houston could care less about Clint Capela's shooting ability. Same goes for Utah and Gobert. Kid rebounds like a maniac and is nimble on defense and offense. Rare combination.
Maybe he gets exposed a bit come Mizzou and conference time but I don't know man. I don't think you know what you're talking about.
Deleted member 4960
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I think Kofi will still be around. The NBA is not a big man league anymore. His shooting skills are pretty weak at this point. I think he will need another year of play before teams are interested. Plus he has only tore up the cupcakes. Against Arizona he didn’t play near as well. We will see how he does against stiffer competition in December. I hope well!
You're right, but to his detriment, how many true, back to the basket centers are there in the NBA anymore? Big men in the NBA can generally play two and guard two positions. Of he left early, best case scenario is that he's Robin Lopez. Worst case scenario is that he's Mo Bamba playing in the D-League.
You put it much more eloquently than I did. I agree with this 100%.
That is my thought on Kofi — here 2 years. When you hear “he’s only played 4 or 5 years” as comment when he does something good as well as when he does something bad then you know he is raw.
Glad to see DW have a good game. I know many want AG to get most of his minutes, but I think DW is vastly under appreciated I had to laugh when someone posted in game thread that DW is always good for a TO or two a game. He averaged under 1 a game in first two seasons, had fewer than AG last year and the same amount this year. Don’t get me wrong I like AG and his game, but love the lunch pail play of DaMonte.
Hey, I hope I'm wrong. If he's NBA ready, then it means we had a fantastic year. I hope you're right and that I don't know what I'm talking about.
Fact is, "we" as Illinois fans grossly overreact to the good and bad of everything. After the first half, people are saying we're trash. After the Arizona game, the year was going to be terrible. Conversely, after 18/17 vs The Citadel....he's going to the NBA.
I'll be interested to see how he handles the size and athleticism in the Big Ten (less Northwestern) night in and night out.
Deleted member 8896
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Both Clint & Rudy played professional basketball in Europe before they even sniffed the NBA. Kofi is nowhere near ready for that level by the end of this season.
1. Quite a turnaround from Kofi in two days which shows he is coachable… Not that that has not been said 100 times but his coaches already. In two years, he should be a top-five pick in draft. Hope he keeps improving game to game.
2. Still disappointed in the shooting from our guards but they did cut down on turnovers which is paramount if they want to make post season.
3 BBV is the kind of player we need on this roster… Two or three of them would be great. All he needs is maturity and experience as he has a natural aptitude for the game. Just hope that you can get him more minutes and grow his confidence.
4. Love to see GB and Kofi starting to mesh on the floor together. Also light GB with BBV.
2. Still disappointed in the shooting from our guards but they did cut down on turnovers which is paramount if they want to make post season.
3 BBV is the kind of player we need on this roster… Two or three of them would be great. All he needs is maturity and experience as he has a natural aptitude for the game. Just hope that you can get him more minutes and grow his confidence.
4. Love to see GB and Kofi starting to mesh on the floor together. Also light GB with BBV.
Clint Capela averaged 2.7 pts and 3.0 reb per game as a rookie.
Rudy Gobert averaged 2.3 pts and 3.4 reb per game as a rookie.
Neither of them was close to the finished product they are now nor did they have a comparable body to Kofi at the same age. And if you don't think Kofi would be able to make noise in the French A-League, I don't know what to say to you.
Besides that, I was just saying that not every big man NBA draft pick has to be able to shoot, which continuously gets brought up here in regards to Kofi's NBA prospects.
Soulberries
- University of Illinois
When Hawkins committed, there were those who said we’d whiff on Curbelo and Miller. When Curbelo announced, the board was saying we were going to lose Antigua, even before Curbelo’s ink dried. When Ayo had a slow start, it was Miller was going elsewhere because Ayo Might not go pro. Now that it looks like we may be getting Miller (knock on wood), it’s Kofi is going pro earlier than expected.
Can’t we just enjoy the moment without the doom and gloom? Like, maybe for a week?
Nope. We are downtrodden. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Illini fans take pessimism to a new art form. Asking is to enjoy the moment and no doom and gloom is like asking Picasso to color within the lines.
NBA does draft on potential, but the league has went the way of athletic, mobile, big men....Kofi will have his spot, not sure he is the atypical athletic big drafted these days...at least not high in draft.
Jaxson Hayes was the first athletic Big last year.
Ayton, Bagley, Bamba, Jackson were early year before...all more lean and athletic overall.
Isaac, Markannen were up there in 2017...
Point is athletic bigs are in demand, Kofi is a different athletic big than what is going high based on potential, he will get there, it will take time. Selfishly I am glad that it will. 3 years imo. He is very much like Shaq as far as size, he is a long way away from Shaq's ability at this age. Shaq in high school was scary and then in college. Kofi has that ability, he has to achieve it and he is going to. Make him watch LSU highlights from back in the day.
Naps at noon....zzzzzz
Our best game so far, no doubt. Glad to see Giorgi looking more comfortable even if it is against inferior competition. Ayo has got some Malcolm Hill going on where I think he didn't really do anything and then he has 16 points. BBV might be a lot of fun. I love that Alan never stopped shooting. Damonte is a special kid. Kofi is truly unreal. I want to watch him and Giorgi for a long time together.
Chilliniwek
- Chicagoland
Looks like TGB has been on this board a whole lot longer than a lot of us, soooooo...