Kosta Koufos - NBA Draft Prospects

Numbers: 14.4 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.8 bpg, 51% FG, 68% FT, 35% 3's

About Him: Kosta Koufos is another one of those guys that could get drafted very high based solely on potential. He had a pretty good year, productivity-wise, but his weaknesses were glaring. Koufos has a very nice touch, extending out to about 20 feet. He has a pretty decent back-to-the-basket game, but he relies very heavily on a righty jump-hook and his turnaround jumper and his left hand is absolutely non-existent. He gets blocked by smaller opponents way too often because teams know this jump hook is coming. He has a pretty good knowledge of the game, especially with positioning, and with his height he gets a lot of pretty good looks close to the rim. But he is pretty weak at holding his place on the block and has a tendency to get knocked out of position. He has a tendency to rush his moves in the post, especially against stronger opponents, and at times appears flustered. His jump shot has very nice form, and his 35% 3 PT shooting could greatly improve as his confidence does. It is tough to judge his defensive ability because the Buckeyes played a ton of 2-3 zone this year with Koufos guarding the rim. He has pretty good timing blocking shots and in the brief minutes when he is matched up 1-on-1 looked pretty good. He is an effective rebounder, especially on the offensive end where he has a real knack for getting himself in good rebounding position.

Comparisons: Mehmut Okur, Zydrunaus Ilgauskas, Wang Zhi-Zhi

Bottom Line: Koufos is an interesting case. He is a Greek citizen, and will play on the Greek national team, and there are rumors swirling that he could end up playing pro ball in Greece instead of Ohio State next season if he doesn't like his draft stock. Ohio State also has big time center BJ Mullins coming in next year, which could cut into Koufos's minutes and production next year. This would be interesting, because his skill set would allow him to excel in European basketball, but how often do you see a guy have a huge NCAA tournament and shoot up the NBA draft boards. He could probably go to somewhere in the middle of the first round this year, but could really use more seasoning.