Deleted member 746826
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Kofi can do very little to improve his stock by coming back. He is what he is.
Looking ahead to 2021-2022
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Deleted member 747903
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Keep in mind Meyers was drafted in a different era. He would not be a 1st round pick now.
Deleted member 746826
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you are kidding me right?
He would most certainly be a first rounder. He could drill a basket from half court.
he could also run at the speed of light and leap over tall buildings.
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
blackdog
- Champaign
Yea hes a guy who's played basketball for like 5 years dominating dudes who have played all their lives. Definitely is never going to get any better than he is right now
Deleted member 747840
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Kofi has about every area to improve in. If you watched him last year you could probably name 4/5 things that if he was good/great in would sky rocket his stock. The (multi) million dollar question is can he? His physical dominance and current skill set translates poorly to the NBA. Not to say he couldn't get minutes on an NBA Team, but he is not an elite rim protector, shooter, or overall defender. The argument for him coming back probably revolves around improving those traits, amongst a few others. Whether he/who ever is close to him believes UIUC is the place to improve those skills will ultimately decide if he comes back
Deleted member 747903
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Meyers Leonard with his current skillset is a fringe bench guy in the NBA. What makes you think his college skillset gets him drafted in the first round right now?
Different era, first round in 2021, fringe bench,....... who cares:
Meyers' career earnings: $50,742,480.
Deleted member 746826
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do you think Kofi would be interested in a fringe bench position that pays $50,742,389?
If true, highly likely Kofi comes back as believe only first rounders get guaranteed money. Still think odds are against him being drafted at all, but no way he goes in the first round.
I think, more than anything, Kofi’s ability to pass out from wherever he gets the ball will be key.
One NBA defender trying to stop him will be hard enough but he has the skillset and work ethic to be at least serviceable.
Add even one collapsing defender and there is no way Kofi’s game can handle that. Not at an NBA level.
His ability to find the open man and make an accurate pass to that shooter/cutter will be huge in improving his stock.
And that IS something he can improve in college, in this offense.
I guess we will see.
One NBA defender trying to stop him will be hard enough but he has the skillset and work ethic to be at least serviceable.
Add even one collapsing defender and there is no way Kofi’s game can handle that. Not at an NBA level.
His ability to find the open man and make an accurate pass to that shooter/cutter will be huge in improving his stock.
And that IS something he can improve in college, in this offense.
I guess we will see.
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
The top ~40 get guaranteed money, IIRC.
Is it safe to assume that the NBA is the only option he's considering? I'm hoping Kofi returns, but for a number of reasons (his age, Antigua and Giorgi leaving, the fact that another college year offers no guarantees...), it seems possible that he might be ready to play for money somewhere.
Austin: “Kofi has about every area to improve in.”
With the NBA, college, and high school games now all playing games based on quickness and 3-point accuracy, it will be tough for the Big Guys to find an easy fit in this game – at least at the pro level.
The NBA from the 40s through the 90s was a Big Man’s game. Everyone wanted a Wilt, Russell, Jabbar, Lanier, Thurmond kind of guy to ‘clog up the middle’ and play good D and get you a slam or two (or hook-shot in ancient times) to go down . You’d have two titans going at each other down low every night like two dinosaurs jostling for prime territory. If you didn’t have a Big Guy you’d get eaten alive. But with the 3-point line and the Jordan and Kobe and Durant body types and guys like Curry all over the world now learning to drain Threes like layups you just don’t need that big guy down low like you used to. And if you’ve got a Big Guy today, he’d better be able to move and hit the Three more than once in a while.
Even someone like Zion has limits in his game that show themselves. His ‘thickness’ can sometimes work against him and his weaker outside game is glaring. He gets his points and the Pelicans still struggle to win.
Kofi in the pros can find a fit with a Coach and team that cuts a section of its offense to what he can do. He must be able to play with better quickness and good vision to kick the ball out and find the open guy behind the line. And keep working on those free-throws or you won't stay around much. And he WILL be able to provide the Thunderous Dunks a few times each game like we’re all used to seeing.
And anybody that can SMILE like Kofi can has to find a home in the pros somewhere. We all -- and The Game -- need more of that.
With the NBA, college, and high school games now all playing games based on quickness and 3-point accuracy, it will be tough for the Big Guys to find an easy fit in this game – at least at the pro level.
The NBA from the 40s through the 90s was a Big Man’s game. Everyone wanted a Wilt, Russell, Jabbar, Lanier, Thurmond kind of guy to ‘clog up the middle’ and play good D and get you a slam or two (or hook-shot in ancient times) to go down . You’d have two titans going at each other down low every night like two dinosaurs jostling for prime territory. If you didn’t have a Big Guy you’d get eaten alive. But with the 3-point line and the Jordan and Kobe and Durant body types and guys like Curry all over the world now learning to drain Threes like layups you just don’t need that big guy down low like you used to. And if you’ve got a Big Guy today, he’d better be able to move and hit the Three more than once in a while.
Even someone like Zion has limits in his game that show themselves. His ‘thickness’ can sometimes work against him and his weaker outside game is glaring. He gets his points and the Pelicans still struggle to win.
Kofi in the pros can find a fit with a Coach and team that cuts a section of its offense to what he can do. He must be able to play with better quickness and good vision to kick the ball out and find the open guy behind the line. And keep working on those free-throws or you won't stay around much. And he WILL be able to provide the Thunderous Dunks a few times each game like we’re all used to seeing.
And anybody that can SMILE like Kofi can has to find a home in the pros somewhere. We all -- and The Game -- need more of that.
Are you sure that you are not describing Hutch? I kid, I kid. If Hutch or Hutch’s parents are reading this, it is all good-natured fun...
Areas where Kofi could improve that would make all the difference in the world between bottom of the draft list to potential first rounder:
1) Passing the ball out of the post -- He does this zero percent of the time now. Imagine how dominant he could be if he was a threat to find the open shooter even a third of the time he got the ball in the post.
2) Develop an outside shot -- ANY outside shot. Doesn't need to be a consistent three-point threat (yet), but having the ability to hit an open 17-footer would make what he does with the ball inside that much more effective.
3) Free Throws -- As long as he bricks 50%, he'll be prone to the Hack-a-Shaq defense... no matter what level he plays. His form is good, he just needs to develop muscle memory and confidence.
4) Defending the mobile 4 or 5. This is arguably his biggest weakness right now as guys like EJ Liddell give him fits. He can hang with the likes of Luka Garza, but the big who can shimmy and shake his way to the basket is his Kryptonite.
Can Kofi improve these things at the end of the bench on an NBA team? Perhaps. He could also develop them and earn good money overseas. But he's had such an outstanding ability to learn and grow rapidly with solid coaching and time on the court, it would probably behoove him to return for one more year, work on those shortcomings and see if he cant shoot up the draft rankings in 2022. He's already a name in college basketball, so he'll get no shortage of national publicity.
When are players going to be able to cash in on name and likeness? Some states have legislation requiring it by July 1 this year. NCAA wants Congress to act by July 1, on what should be the NCAA's job.
If NIL is really going to happen this year, it could make Kofi's calculus on whether to stay or go a lot different. He could probably make more than the G League.
If NIL is really going to happen this year, it could make Kofi's calculus on whether to stay or go a lot different. He could probably make more than the G League.
Without Kofi we have a very very serious lack of size. Three guards who are 6'1" and no proven 4s or 5s. Lots of unproven length on the wings.
Illwinsagain
- Cary, IL
I don't think that the plan is to have the 3 6'1" guards playing together.
I thought we were a typical 4 away from being on the level of Baylor and Gonzaga. Call me a Homer, but EJ Liddell being on the team last season would have been huge. So I'll say that if Kofi comes back and Tre Mitchell transfers in, our starting lineup is likely Belo, Trent, Hutch, Mitchell, and Kofi. Plummer, Monte, and Grandison all come off the bench. That is a team that could compete again, and may be better suited for a run than this past season.
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
Barring injury, that team is a bona fide title contender.
GrayGhost77
- Centennial, CO
That is a very deep team, at all positions. Legit backups in all spots (Trent at the 1, Plummer at the 2, Hutch OR Monte at the 3, Grandy at the 4, Payne at the 5). And that's just assuming one or more of the Frosh don't break through and show they are ready during the season.
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