Pistons draft: The strongest man in the 2022 NBA Draft
2022 NBA Draft: Kofi Cockburn’s strengths and weaknesses
Cockburn is projected to be taken in the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft, though some experts think he’ll go undrafted.
Cockburn is as big and strong as any player currently in the NBA, rebounds his position well and has some amount of back-to-the-basket game in the post, a skill most teams no longer care about unless it is just part of a more versatile offensive bag.
He can catch lobs and once he gets the ball around the rim it is over, as few players can stop him from finishing without fouling and even then it probably won’t matter, as Cockburn will just go right through it.
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He got to the line 7.3 times per game this season, so is a guy who will draw (and probably commit) fouls at a high rate. He’s very mobile for his size, runs the floor fairly well and is the type of guy who probably would have been the number one pick in 1990.
But Cockburn has huge flaws, namely that he is one of the least skilled bigs in the draft, a guy who cannot shoot, has questionable hands and offers little outside of rebounding and brute force.
Yes, he gets to the line, but only hits 65 percent of them, bringing back memories of another offensively-challenged center who used to play for the Detroit Pistons.
Cockburn has to improve as a shooter, and as a perimeter defender, as NBA teams would light him up in the pick and roll if he had to switch on the outside.
If the Detroit Pistons wanted to add size and rebounding, Cockburn might get a look in the second round, as they have a need for both.