Kofi Leaving for NBA
- Thread starter ImBadRU
- Start date
Amazing news! Will not miss him one bit.
I do wish him well though. It's unfortunate for him that he wasn't getting drafted in the 80s or 90s where he would be the 1st overall pick
I do wish him well though. It's unfortunate for him that he wasn't getting drafted in the 80s or 90s where he would be the 1st overall pick
I wish Kofi luck. I am just happy that we won't have to deal with him anymore. I wonder how Illinois will do without him.
Everyone shouldn't get their hopes up just yet.
I think he's being projected as late 2nd round at best.
This could easily be a "Luka Garza" situation where he returns his draft prospects can't get any worse. Might as well return and be BMOC for another year.
Players can sign with agents and still return.
However, he’s declared for the first time. You can only put your name in the draft and withdraw twice. So he is done.
Coleman Hawkins break out coming while I cry inside of what could have been if he came to RU
Heard Kofi was afraid of playing against Cliff!! Whatever, this is good news for us.
Kofi turned down a 7-figure NIL arrangement at Illinois. Kofi really did not want to continue playing at the collegiate level and was willing to take a pay cut to go pro wherever that may be.
That makes sense.
He's been itching to go pro since he got to Illinois it seems.
This is ultimately the decision when most underclassmen declare for the draft (RHJ, Caleb, Jones, Kofi, Garza):
Are you done with college and willing to go pro most likely in G-League/Overseas or do you want to return to college and be a star for another year.
Rarely do upperclassmen return and improve their draft stock into a 1st round pick - most of the 1st round is freshman/sophomores every year.
Last year RHJ decided to return. This year it seem he's ready to move on?
Last year Kofi decided to return. This year it seems he's ready to move on.
Sounds like Caleb is deciding to return.
Yep, I don't blame him, frankly I'm happy he didn't transfer.
Blessings in disguise - this may have freed up enough NIL to be a serious contender for Whitmore.
It makes zero sense for him to come back. He’s basically the same player as he was two years ago and not really much upside. Time to make $ playing while he is young and he can.
Oh, I think they came up with more than double that, lol. But Kofi was ready to move on from college, and I wish him the best! Rebuild and reload!
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anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy
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Illinois gonna be really good in a couple years. They have some dynamite backcourt players coming in.
Kofi didn't fit what they and other good teams wanna do. A center being the center piece to your offense in 2022 is very very rarely a good thing, it is more often than not an indictment that your team has some issues
Kofi didn't fit what they and other good teams wanna do. A center being the center piece to your offense in 2022 is very very rarely a good thing, it is more often than not an indictment that your team has some issues
They went 31-9 in the Big Ten the past two seasons. What are the odds they have another two year run that good within the next five?
I'd argue that Cockburn is the exact type of player that top programs should be looking for: Dominant in college but will stick around because their skills are valued as highly in the NBA. Same goes for Kentucky with Oscar Tshiebwe. Loyola Chicago was great thanks to Cameron Krutwig. Gonzaga with Drew Timme. Those are the players you want to build a program around. Kansas just won a title with a four-year senior in David McCormick leading them in usage (granted, his minutes were lower).
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anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy
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Definitely helps to have guys like him. However, your ceiling is really capped if they are the center piece of your offense. Can't get away with your center being the go to guy in 2022 if you have aspirations to do something big
I don't know how you're defining go-to guy but David McCormick led Kansas in shot attempts in both of their Final Four games against Villanova and UNC.
For Illinois: They were badly hurt by Curbelo's injuries and failure to take a step forward. The roster last year was built to be four guards/wings around Cockburn which is what a bunch of NBA teams do (Sixers with Embiid, Nuggets with Jokic, even the Heat with Adebayo to an extent). It's certainly helpful when your center can expand his game like Embiid.
But the 2021 team with Dosunmu had Final Four potential. They were arguably the best team on the next tier after Gonzaga and Baylor. Dosunmu and Frazier played a miserable game and they got knocked out early. It happens.
So yeah you can't ONLY have a guy like Cockburn and have a huge ceiling but that's true for every position. Iowa was basically only Keegan Murray. Wisconsin was basically only Johnny Davis. Ohio State was only EJ Liddell (until Branham popped). And their ceilings were capped too.
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anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy
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centers that can shoot 3's and handle from the top of the key are a totally different animal. Kofi wasn't anything close to that. But yes, if you can have a center like Embiid or Jokic that's a game changer. They are unicorns though.
Like for example, watching the warriors last night. Draymond is legitimately 6'5, I know he's listed at 6'6 but he's 6'5. And he guards centers (he made a fool of jokic at the end) and GS is a total nightmare because they're a guard oriented team that can shoot. Between Klay, Steph and Poole, they're a nightmare to defend.
If Kofi had Dean’s shooting ability and handling skills (and no Dean isn’t a stud ball handler but he’s decent for a big) he’d be a 1st rounder for sure IMO.