Just wanted to throw in my two cents on Kofi’s draft stock and his potential value to an NBA team. By no means am I claiming to be some kind of basketball expert, but I do watch a ton of NBA and follow the league closely through podcasts/articles/Twitter etc.
I’ve seen a lot of people here point to Kofi’s inability to stretch the floor as the reason that he has no chance to be successful in the NBA, and I disagree with that. Bigs like Anthony Davis, Embiid, or Porzingis who can combine size, defense, and post play with three-point shooting are going to keep being drafted in the top 5. This kind of player is rightfully referred to as a unicorn and are immensely valuable to a franchise. But they’re called unicorns for a reason - they’re incredible rare. Every team would love to have a guy like that, but not many of them exist. There is, without a doubt, still a place in the NBA for a center who is 7 feet tall and can rebound, block shots, and score around the basket. Can this type of player be a top-5 pick who makes the all star team and gets a maximum contract? Almost definitely not. But a center who rebounds, defends, and can score down low can still be drafted and then carve out a years-long career in the NBA as a backup big.
For me, Kofi’s lack of three point shooting isn’t even close to my main concern regarding his success in the NBA. If I was an NBA team I’d be more concerned with whether he’s quick enough to stay in front of guards and wings when he inevitably gets switched onto them, or if he’s too slow and gets blown by. My other main concern would be whether his post scoring will translate when he’s being defended by grown men who are much closer to his height and weight. Is his scoring efficiency in college due to his strength/athleticism advantage, or due to post moves and footwork that’ll allow him to maintain this efficiency in the NBA? I don’t know the answers to these questions, but I would be looking at these things much more than his lack of three point shooting when projecting Kofi’s skill set to the NBA.