Kofi Cockburn enters NBA Draft

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#351      
Kofis biggest area he most improve is his lateral quickness and defend quicker guys effectively. Despite what many say in here not all bigs shoot threes. Kofi can make a lot of money being an elite rebounder, setting screens, and making a impact in the defensive end. Kofi would not be selected to shoot threes. If he can develop a mid range game and one day stretch out further then awesome. He needs to walk before he can run. In other words hit from mid range and improve his lateral quickness and not be a liability defensively when guys switch .
Kofi has the athleticism of the centers who shoot 3s and facilitate. That’s the trade off for them, they don’t have the athleticism to make impacts on the defense end, so they do it by being excessively skilled offensively.

Kofi will get eaten alive defensively in pick and roll coverage right now.

Maybe his best hope would be the heat. The play more 2-3 zone than anybody in the league. He could eat space in there while Bam gets a breather.
 
#352      
It's all about switchability in the NBA. As a big, you play because you can hold your own against smaller players on the perimeter. I question if he has the lateral quickness to defend at the next level.

To me, he has to be in the Andre Drummond or DeAndre Jordan role to be effective.

I think someone takes a chance of him late 2nd round alot like Luka Garza. He undoubtedly will get a chance on a team, be it summer league or G-League or a 2 way contract.

Its not about scoring, its not about shooting or passing or really even rebounding with Kofi.

Everything is about switchability on defense.
 
#353      
It's all about switchability in the NBA. As a big, you play because you can hold your own against smaller players on the perimeter. I question if he has the lateral quickness to defend at the next level.

To me, he has to be in the Andre Drummond or DeAndre Jordan role to be effective.

I think someone takes a chance of him late 2nd round alot like Luka Garza. He undoubtedly will get a chance on a team, be it summer league or G-League or a 2 way contract.

Its not about scoring, its not about shooting or passing or really even rebounding with Kofi.

Everything is about switchability on defense.
Deandre Jordan could catch alleys off the shot clock in his prime. He was the other half of lob city with Blake Griffin from Chris Paul.
 
#354      
I think it remains to be seen if there is a place in the NBA for Garza. I think it's more likely than not that he's no longer in the NBA in 5 years.
yeah Garza couldn't get regular tick on a 23 win team. At age 23, that doesn't bode well for his NBA future. I could see him going to Europe after next season if he doesn't have any offers as a RFA.
 
#355      
I think so too. Theis comp might be achievable though. I swear I’ve seen Looney on Doncic after a switch this series, and he played pretty good D on him. Looney is a better passer too.
I watched the GS game, focusing on Looney.

Kofi:
- Gets up the floor faster.
- Occupies space better in the paint.

Looney"
- Defends better outside of the paint.
- Does a better job of keeping the ball alive, e.g. tapping out offensive rebounds. This doesn't show on the stat sheet.
- Is a far better passer.
- Has a bit more range on his shot. (Kofi will get there.) This means the defense needs to step out to guard him, and he can run cuts.
- Does a better job of blocking out for cutters (and layups).

Without the good inside passing game, It isn't clear that Looney sees the floor. His passing is what keeps the opposing defense honest. I'm not sure even that it is enough without Green's passing to complement him. Their inside passing game is good, and they can feed the open 3 or cutter.

Kofi has shown that he can, and is, learning. The question is whether someone is willing to invest the 1-2 years to see if he can develop a consistent mid range+ shot, and learn to make timing passes to cutters.
 
#356      
Kofis biggest area he most improve is his lateral quickness and defend quicker guys effectively. Despite what many say in here not all bigs shoot threes. Kofi can make a lot of money being an elite rebounder, setting screens, and making a impact in the defensive end. Kofi would not be selected to shoot threes. If he can develop a mid range game and one day stretch out further then awesome. He needs to walk before he can run. In other words hit from mid range and improve his lateral quickness and not be a liability defensively when guys switch .
I agree foot speed on the PNR is his biggest area to improve. I actually think his potential for a “mid range” game is not all that far off. He has a very good looking shot. Focusing only on basketball (no school) should help him to develop that. Question is can he defend a guard on a switch? I think if I was a GM I sure would think about it.
 
#367      
5 was an arbitrary, round number, and I never said he'd play right up to the end of that number either. He may well not make it past his rookie contract.
I hear you. I must admit that issue has always bothered me. How are you considered the best at what you do? Yet people say you can't perform at the next level. But... people who performed worse than you can? If you're considered the best... and the others aren't as good as you... how do they all of a sudden become a better prospect than you? Garza was basically national player of the year in college 2 years in a row before graduating... but yet he can't play in the NBA? He's too slow, too this, too that. But he was better than everyone else with those same skills.? Doesn't make sense to me. If a kid is the best in the country at computing, science, accounting, or surgery... they're getting hired first! No way Kofi should be an undrated player when he was one of the best players in the country at his craft! Dominant at his position.
 
#368      
I hear you. I must admit that issue has always bothered me. How are you considered the best at what you do? Yet people say you can't perform at the next level. But... people who performed worse than you can? If you're considered the best... and the others aren't as good as you... how do they all of a sudden become a better prospect than you? Garza was basically national player of the year in college 2 years in a row before graduating... but yet he can't play in the NBA? He's too slow, too this, too that. But he was better than everyone else with those same skills.? Doesn't make sense to me. If a kid is the best in the country at computing, science, accounting, or surgery... they're getting hired first! No way Kofi should be an undrated player when he was one of the best players in the country at his craft! Dominant at his position.
College basketball and NBA basketball are just two different things though. It's not all that different than any other area. Good grades are a data point that can help identify a good doctor, lawyer, engineer etc., but I imagine the correlation is not perfect. I'm sure many former students underperform what their grades would indicate , while others overperform.

I have a lot of classmates who were better students than me in law school who I would never trust to deliver a closing to a jury. Sometimes the skillsets don't perfectly translate.
 
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#369      
I hear you. I must admit that issue has always bothered me. How are you considered the best at what you do? Yet people say you can't perform at the next level. But... people who performed worse than you can? If you're considered the best... and the others aren't as good as you... how do they all of a sudden become a better prospect than you? Garza was basically national player of the year in college 2 years in a row before graduating... but yet he can't play in the NBA? He's too slow, too this, too that. But he was better than everyone else with those same skills.? Doesn't make sense to me. If a kid is the best in the country at computing, science, accounting, or surgery... they're getting hired first! No way Kofi should be an undrated player when he was one of the best players in the country at his craft! Dominant at his position.
The 360 best basketball players in the world play in the NBA. There are currently 351 NCAA Division 1 basketball programs. Most nights in a college basketball season, you play teams that don't have a single guy as good as the worst NBA player. Suddenly you are surrounded by guys who are good at everything. Every night you are matched up against someone who would have been your toughest competition in college, and is probably better than that. If you have deficiencies in your game, they will be exploited.
We know there are things Kofi does not do well on a basketball court. Kofi dominates through sheer physical force. He won't always be the biggest dude on the court in the NBA. The clear advantages he exploited in college won't be as clear in the NBA. That's why his future in that league is murky, despite a decorated college career.
If you are the 370th best player in the world, you can dominate in college and not be able to help a NBA team.
 
#370      
The 360 best basketball players in the world play in the NBA. There are currently 351 NCAA Division 1 basketball programs. Most nights in a college basketball season, you play teams that don't have a single guy as good as the worst NBA player. Suddenly you are surrounded by guys who are good at everything. Every night you are matched up against someone who would have been your toughest competition in college, and is probably better than that. If you have deficiencies in your game, they will be exploited.
We know there are things Kofi does not do well on a basketball court. Kofi dominates through sheer physical force. He won't always be the biggest dude on the court in the NBA. The clear advantages he exploited in college won't be as clear in the NBA. That's why his future in that league is murky, despite a decorated college career.
If you are the 370th best player in the world, you can dominate in college and not be able to help a NBA team.
Understood. I get your point of view. In my opinion I personally think that if he dominate all who are participating in college that are in the draft performance wise, then he will still do that in the NBA against them. Maybe not those who are already established from prior classes before him. But definitely against those whom he's outperformed already.
 
#371      

Epsilon

M tipping over
Pdx
I assume that comment is about shedding weight and being a little less muscle bound in exchange for quickness and fluidity
Whatever the implication or intent, I’ve never been @8.2% in my life. And we’re more talking multiples of that…
 
#372      
I hear you. I must admit that issue has always bothered me. How are you considered the best at what you do? Yet people say you can't perform at the next level. But... people who performed worse than you can? If you're considered the best... and the others aren't as good as you... how do they all of a sudden become a better prospect than you? Garza was basically national player of the year in college 2 years in a row before graduating... but yet he can't play in the NBA? He's too slow, too this, too that. But he was better than everyone else with those same skills.? Doesn't make sense to me. If a kid is the best in the country at computing, science, accounting, or surgery... they're getting hired first! No way Kofi should be an undrated player when he was one of the best players in the country at his craft! Dominant at his position.
A few factors at play:

1) The best NBA prospects aren't staying in college after 1 year. Blake Griffin in 2009 was the last "not a one and done player" (2 years at Oklahoma). A top 50-ish player can catch up and be on par with a One and Done future lotto pick, but that lotto pick is still earlier in their development. So they may just be a bit more raw.

2) There is only one ball. A lot of great college players thrive with the ball in their hands. However, they won't have the ball in their hands as much in the NBA because it's better to have it in a player that is a bit better than them (see number 1). If a player doesn't fit as well in an off-ball role, it's hard for them find their groove.

3) Type/Style - being crafty, being big and overpowering. This stuff works in college where players aren't as long and athletic, or don't have the same level of BBall IQ. Those types of ways of scoring just aren't going to be there as frequently or easily. Even just the timing and release of your shot, which explains why players that shoot lights out in college can't translate their shooting to the NBA (even though shooting is one of the more "transferrable" skills).

4) Defense - again, you can get by with effort and high IQ and knowing the system far easier in College than in the NBA. The Margins really tighten up, you can't run as much Zone because everyone on the opposing floor is a threat to shoot. If you aren't long and athletic, it's really hard, and once teams realize that they can start picking on you/aggressively hunting you on switches and their best ball handlers will have buckets for days, you're just done if you're not like Trae Young and averaging nearly 30 a game on the other end. I can't think of a quicker way to flame out of the League than being unplayable on the defensive end.

Most of the "not great" college players are ones that had intriguing attributes (length/athleticism) but just hadn't put it together up to that point before hitting the Draft. There really aren't that many that really fit that bill though, most NBA were really really good in college, if they weren't getting accolades it's often because they played on stacked teams ala Duke, Kentucky with other NBA prospects. There are 350-something college teams and a good number in the power six conferences. so there's a lot more room to have a bunch of really good college players at one time. Stuff like raw stats plays a big role in who is an All-American and not, but there may not be a ton (if any) of actual separation there between top players. It often just comes down to how they are utilized.
 
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#373      

ILLINIShox24

Orange Krush '04 & '05
I assume that comment is about shedding weight and being a little less muscle bound in exchange for quickness and fluidity
Hes Right GIF by MOODMAN
 
#375      
A few factors at play:

1) The best NBA prospects aren't staying in college after 1 year. Blake Griffin in 2009 was the last "not a one and done player" (2 years at Oklahoma). A top 50-ish player can catch up and be on par with a One and Done future lotto pick, but that lotto pick is still earlier in their development. So they may just be a bit more raw.

2) There is only one ball. A lot of great college players thrive with the ball in their hands. However, they won't have the ball in their hands as much in the NBA because it's better to have it in a player that is a bit better than them (see number 1). If a player doesn't fit as well in an off-ball role, it's hard for them find their groove.

3) Type/Style - being crafty, being big and overpowering. This stuff works in college where players aren't as long and athletic, or don't have the same level of BBall IQ. Those types of ways of scoring just aren't going to be there as frequently or easily. Even just the timing and release of your shot, which explains why players that shoot lights out in college can't translate their shooting to the NBA (even though shooting is one of the more "transferrable" skills).

4) Defense - again, you can get by with effort and high IQ and knowing the system far easier in College than in the NBA. The Margins really tighten up, you can't run as much Zone because everyone on the opposing floor is a threat to shoot. If you aren't long and athletic, it's really hard, and once teams realize that they can start picking on you/aggressively hunting you on switches and their best ball handlers will have buckets for days, you're just done if you're not like Trae Young and averaging nearly 30 a game on the other end. I can't think of a quicker way to flame out of the League than being unplayable on the defensive end.

Most of the "not great" college players are ones that had intriguing attributes (length/athleticism) but just hadn't put it together up to that point before hitting the Draft. There really aren't that many that really fit that bill though, most NBA were really really good in college, if they weren't getting accolades it's often because they played on stacked teams ala Duke, Kentucky with other NBA prospects. There are 350-something college teams and a good number in the power six conferences. so there's a lot more room to have a bunch of really good college players at one time. Stuff like raw stats plays a big role in who is an All-American and not, but there may not be a ton (if any) of actual separation there between top players. It often just comes down to how they are utilized.
I definitely agree with your take. Especially with how a team chooses to utilize a player. I think that's really what it boils down to for Kofi. If a team wants to utilize a big with his skill set.
 
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