Illini Basketball 2020-2021

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#676      

mhuml32

mhuml32
Cincinnati, OH
mhuml32
Joel Goodson said:
Free throws, hit a 10-12 footer, ability to pass out of a double team.

And I'm not suggesting that the way to improve is via another year in college. Just that the more question marks he puts to rest, the higher he'll move up. Really though his ceiling is probably high teens. Huge $ difference between #20 and #45.
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The thing is we really already know he's going to be bad at each of these things. Even if they improve he is not going to do well at the FT line. Jumping up to a 65% FT shooter might be a big reach but still isn't going to be enough to not be a liability late in the game. Shooting 10-12 footers would be good but I don't see him getting a chance to work on that at Illinois because he is just way too valuable catching the ball in the post in college. The passing is the bugaboo that could be improved but should he really be returning to college to improve passing out of the post?

I say all of this knowing that the Illinois fandom in me would be ecstatic if he come back. He made a huge leap this year and Underwood is saying he's the best big man in college. Big men careers are only so long. He should go pro and start cashing as many checks as he can. He isn't going to be a threat from deep and is going to have defensive liabilities against big men who can.
 
#677      

IllinoisRebel

I
IllinoisRebel
I remember reading an article about a year ago that interviewed a NBA exec. The exec said that if the team saw NBA potential in the college player they would rather draft him and put him in their team system over staying in college. The exec said player will progress much quicker with the NBA team. That being said, I assume scouts have to figure out how long it will take to develop the college player. If the scouts think Kofi may take 2-3 years to be an average NBA player, they wouldn't draft him. It's all about potential and how quickly?!
 
#678      

bluemountain

B
bluemountain
IllinoisRebel said:
I remember reading an article about a year ago that interviewed a NBA exec. The exec said that if the team saw NBA potential in the college player they would rather draft him and put him in their team system over staying in college. The exec said player will progress much quicker with the NBA team. That being said, I assume scouts have to figure out how long it will take to develop the college player. If the scouts think Kofi may take 2-3 years to be an average NBA player, they wouldn't draft him. It's all about potential and how quickly?!
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This. If you are a high potential kid, will you develop better working on your game full time with NBA coaches, nutritionists, etc and playing against guys with similar ability, or getting 20 hours of practice in against guys who can't compete against you physically? I'd love to have Kofi back, but if he is serious about getting to the league and making big $ it's in his best interest to go pro now.
 
#679      

robjilla

R
robjilla
Another factor we have to remember is age. A lot of players leave early and are drafted on potential, because they are not finished products and one year of college is not always enough time to totally dissect their game. A 19 year old one and done freshman has all of the "potential in the world." Kofi has room to grow and has potential but he is already older than Ayo is. Kofi will be 22 at the start of the next NBA season and would be 23 if he waited till next year. The NBA seems to rather draft a 19 year old on potential rather than a 23 year old with a defined skill set.
 
#680      

Deleted member 186590

D
Guest
Deleted member 186590
altenberger22 said:
Well, we've probably had 5-6 teams in Illini basketball history with the talent to win the Natty. And we've definitely had the best team in the nation at least twice before (1989 and 2005).

Really hoping this is the year! I believe this team falls into category 1 --- and we're among a small handful of teams with a great chance to get it done. The one big key, luck has to also be on your side and you have to go into the tourney realizing that one game out of the (potential) six is going to be a toss-up in the final two minutes. Damn glad we have Ayo on our side for that one!

Go Illini!!!!
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I agree with you- we were the best team in the country in '89 and '05 (and those teams are frequently on the "best teams to not win it all" lists, so we're not alone). Both times we were beat in large part due to our lack in inside presence
This year, I don't think we're the best team in the country (you have to give the nod to Gonzaga given their historical year statistically), but we are built for the tournament no question - senior leadership, defense, inside presence, 3 point shooters, closer in tight games - we have it all

With Belo's emergence and Trent playing really well lately, I think we're much better than when we played Baylor the first time - and we've been tested in a lot of close games, so this team shouldn't be rattled by a close game. I don't think there is a team we can't beat if we play well, which is a good feeling to have! I'm excited to see what these guys do!
 
#681      

BoJack Underwoo

BoJack Underwoo
BoJack Underwoo
mhuml32 said:
The thing is we really already know he's going to be bad at each of these things. Even if they improve he is not going to do well at the FT line. Jumping up to a 65% FT shooter might be a big reach but still isn't going to be enough to not be a liability late in the game. Shooting 10-12 footers would be good but I don't see him getting a chance to work on that at Illinois because he is just way too valuable catching the ball in the post in college. The passing is the bugaboo that could be improved but should he really be returning to college to improve passing out of the post?

I say all of this knowing that the Illinois fandom in me would be ecstatic if he come back. He made a huge leap this year and Underwood is saying he's the best big man in college. Big men careers are only so long. He should go pro and start cashing as many checks as he can. He isn't going to be a threat from deep and is going to have defensive liabilities against big men who can.
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He shot almost 68% on over 5 attempts per game last year. He could realistically improve to being a 70% FT shooter which would make a huge difference to his game.

Personally, if I were an NBA exec, I would seriously consider picking him mid-to-late first round. One consideration is that because big men's careers are only so long their rookie contracts are more important and being a first-round pick vs. a second-round pick will make more difference. Also, there's way less wear and tear on the body during a 30-something game college season than an 82+ game NBA season, so if he's not guaranteed first round (which it seems like he isn't); it might make sense to come back another year.
 
#682      

FollowMeDontFollowMe

F
FollowMeDontFollowMe
mikeyo said:
That’s probably what people told Garza, too. I don’t think his draft stock has changed this year
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True, but has Garza improved? I see the same player as last year. All the talk of Kofi benefiting from staying is predicated on his improvement in the areas discussed.

I think there are two questions:
1. How much does Kofi stock improve with improvements in x, y, and z?
2. Is Kofi realistically capable of making those improvements.
 
#685      

Ga65

G
Ga65
JFGsCoffeeMug said:
Haha, when they asked him who the best trash talkers in the B1G are, Ayo hesitated before admitting that it's him and Trent. Some people wait until their team is up 10 with 2 minutes left in the game before chirping, but Ayo says he and Trent start even before the tip.

Ayo (talking to Trent within earshot of Trent's defensive assignment): "Trent, you know he not getting none tonight."
Trent (talking to his defensive assignment): "Yeah, your water's shut off."

jonathan knight best thing ever GIF by Rock This Boat: New Kids On The Block
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I thought Giorgi was right up there.
 
#686      

LostinNebraska

L
LostinNebraska
JFGsCoffeeMug said:
Haha, when they asked him who the best trash talkers in the B1G are, Ayo hesitated before admitting that it's him and Trent. Some people wait until their team is up 10 with 2 minutes left in the game before chirping, but Ayo says he and Trent start even before the tip.

Ayo (talking to Trent within earshot of Trent's defensive assignment): "Trent, you know he not getting none tonight."
Trent (talking to his defensive assignment): "Yeah, your water's shut off."

jonathan knight best thing ever GIF by Rock This Boat: New Kids On The Block
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I only wish I had the defensive skill to be able to use that one in rec league. That's grade-A psychological warfare, and he backs it up.
 
#687      

illinitiger

I
illinitiger
Homecoming 2019 said:
Wow didn't realize https://nbadraftroom.com/p/2021-nba-mock-draft/ had Kofi going in the first round. To be able to pull in Enoch and have Kofi/Ayo go in the first round would be amazing for this program. They also love Ayo, 14th, lowest I've seen him on any draft board.
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When was the last time we saw 27 picks before a duke or Kentucky player was drafted?

A lot of g league ignite in upper tier.

Is the one and to a Top 10 draftee from Duke and Kentucky world finally turning over? I hope so.
 
#690      

Ga65

G
Ga65
Garza not listed. Huge differences between projections which makes me believe they aren’t very accurate.
 
#694      

JW

JW
Vancouver
JW
Apologies if this has been mentioned elsewhere - but is there any word on Trent Frazier for 21/22?

I haven't heard anything to suggest he will be drafted, so another to grow and develop can only help.
 
#695      

JFGsCoffeeMug

JFGsCoffeeMug
BU:1 Trash cans:0
Chicago
JFGsCoffeeMug
JW said:
Apologies if this has been mentioned elsewhere - but is there any word on Trent Frazier for 21/22?

I haven't heard anything to suggest he will be drafted, so another to grow and develop can only help.
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I didn't see the post personally, but I heard that Frazier's dad said via social media that Trent is done after this year. I suppose that could be subject to modification, but that was the message at that time.
 
#698      

JW

JW
Vancouver
JW
Thanks.
 
#699      

KevinC

KevinC
KevinC
Joel Goodson said:
Free throws, hit a 10-12 footer, ability to pass out of a double team.

And I'm not suggesting that the way to improve is via another year in college. Just that the more question marks he puts to rest, the higher he'll move up. Really though his ceiling is probably high teens. Huge $ difference between #20 and #45.
Click to expand...
I think NBA teams will see if Kofi has a mid range jumper during personal workouts and may even ask for film from BU showing if he has one. They do a lot more scouting than just games.
 
#700      

LostinNebraska

L
LostinNebraska
KevinC said:
I think NBA teams will see if Kofi has a mid range jumper during personal workouts and may even ask for film from BU showing if he has one. They do a lot more scouting than just games.
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I saw footage of him last summer knocking down 3s at a decent clip.
 
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