Myself included, it seems much of Buckeye Nation has been underwhelmed by the production of freshman 'big man' Kosta Koufos. In fact, his toughness has been routinely questioned as more often than not he's looked like a total Nancy with his back to the basket. You've seen it, the wide array of fadeaway jumpers and half hooks - all with the perceived intent of avoiding any physical contact.
The lack of any go to moves against more physical competition has been apparent in conference play. Koufos is averaging just 9.4 points in in five Big Ten games while averaging 15.4 ppg in non-conference matchups.
That said, Koufos is actually faring better than you probably think in other statistical areas. Again, keeping it in conference, Koufos ranks 10th in rebounding (6.6 rpg) and 4th in blocks (1.60) against season averages of 6.8 rpg and 1.9 blocks. Both results better those of Othello Hunter.
The lack of an inside game has yet to send him reeling into 2nd round draft stock according to the mocksters however those of us watching the games every week say he needs at least one more year of seasoning to avoid getting broken in half. Draft Express was the first site to push Koufos to lottery status (4th) and their latest version still has him going 8th while mynbadraft.com has dropped him, but only to 14th.
So who's right? Is Koufos a top 15 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft or does he need at least one more year to toughen up? Of course, the third option could be that both are correct. With his youth and potential, a team could still be willing to spend a mid-late 1st round pick and wait for him to physically mature.
More importantly, can he develop into a consistent #2 scoring option behind Jamar Butler or will the continued physical play continue to take it's toll on his ability to score thus relegating OSU to the NIT or a 1st round upset in the Big Dance?
Comments
Spin it how you want, but please don't squeeze the Charmin. The dude is too soft to play in the middle. I suppose he would move outside once he gets to the Association. The thought of him being picked in the top half of the first round is comical. Then again, Isiah Thomas might be the one picking at 15, so it isn't that far of a reach.
http://nbadraft.net/ has Kosta going 10th...in 2009. This is after having him in the top 5 or so before the season started.
In a world where the 6th man from last year who couldn't hack it against any of the teams in the Big 10 or the tournament, I am inclined to believe Koufos is a 1st round pick no matter what happens the rest of the year.
7 feet tall + some visible skills no on can deny no matter his performance = 1st round pick.
If Rik Smits or Chris Chambers can make a career in the NBA, a softy like Koufos can, too. He probably is a mid- to low-first round pick as soon as next year, on potential alone.
That said, I'd advise him to stick around one more year, at least. If Mullens shows any ability to play inside at all, Koufos can play a little more face-up to the basket, and out on the perimeter. He'll have a year to shine, and end up going 7th-10th next year, which should help the pocketbook a little.
You know an NBA team will take a chance on him and it will be early in the draft. He has potential and is 7 feet tall. However, I think he needs one more year of seasoning with inside help coming from B.J. Mullens next year. There is too much inconsistency in his game and another year with Thad could make him a top 5 pick.
Did you see Mullens scored 62 points & had 21 rebounds yesterday?
http://www.dispatch.com/live/c...
He is soft, but he has an arsenal of offensive firepower. I think this is why he is frustrating to watch. A defensive minded player like Oden can jump right in and start swatting shots into the cheap seats, but a finesse 7 footer needs to use his skills within the offense which is much tougher. That being said he needs to use the college experience to learn to play more physical and take advantage of his size which he has not done against good front courts.
As far as being drafted I think he will still go very high and leave after this season. If his only skills were running the court and shooting jumpers he would go in the first round. Obviously a year or two more of college could make him a great player, but that doesn't happen anymore. NBA seems to care about talent only...ask Cook 'cuz he was terrible at times last year.
I almost forgot...any news about a Henton transfer?
He will be drafted by team proactive to be their next spokesmodel.
I can't see Kosta being a 1st round draft pick at this point. He really has to come on strong the 2nd half of the season. The guy has more or less disappeared at too many key times so far this season. I just can't see it. But then again I said the same thing about Cook last year. What do I know? Tonight looking more like a must win or the postseason becomes a 3 letter word (NIT) as opposed to a 4 letter word (NCAA).
The NBA is all about "upside", and Kosta has a huge upside. He realizes that he has deficiencies in his game and he seems to be working to correct them. Many kids come to college ball with absolutely no clue how to play defense and are used to doing whatever they want on the court. Matta is doing a good job with him and Kosta seems to be a willing pupil. He's clearly doing better on the defensive side of the ball in the past 6 games. My prediction is that he's going to have some big games down the stretch. He & Hunter are starting to make a nice tandem, and with Turner & Lighty out front on the zone, The Bucks are playing some pretty good defense. If Jon Diebler starts hitting shots with some consistency, OSU could be a scary team come tournament time.
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