Possible Detroit Pistons draft picks in Illinois vs. Ohio State
Potential Detroit Pistons draft picks: Kofi Cockburn
If the NBA Draft were held on looks alone, then Cockburn might be the #1 overall pick because this kid already has an NBA body, in fact, there are few current players in the NBA who are as big and strong as Cockburn is already.
He is a legit 7-footer and weighs 285 lbs. of solid muscle, so there is no doubt that Cockburn has the physicality to be in the NBA.
Strengths: Cockburn is physical, strong and could already bang with most NBA centers. He has improved mightily in his sophomore season, upping his points, rebounds, blocks and just about everything else.
He averaged 17.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game for the Illini, who are one of the top teams in college basketball. He shoots 65.8 percent from the floor, though his free-throw percentage dipped in year two.
Cockburn can be a guy who gets tough rebounds, protects the rim and runs the floor in the NBA though he has a ton of question marks.
Weaknesses: If this were the 1990’s, Cockburn would almost certainly be a top-five pick, as he is a traditional center who can play in the post and defend, but in today’s NBA he is going to struggle to switch on defense, as he lacks lateral quickness.
He will definitely be a force on the interior but could get killed in the pick and roll unless he improves his foot speed.
He doesn’t do much on offense, especially when it comes to spreading the floor, but he is a physical presence who will make a team based on defense and rebounding.
Fit on the Pistons: Troy Weaver likes physical players who defend, so Cockburn might draw some interest, especially if he falls to the second round. He is a guy who will not play big minutes in the NBA but could be very effective in short spurts. He and Isaiah Stewart would be physical enforcers in the paint that would bring back memories from the Bad Boys days. Cockburn is raw but keeps getting better and could end up being a very effective player down the road.