| The Right Pick? Authored by Derek Flack - June 27, 2008 - 8:15 pm
When the 2008 NBA Draft process first began a few weeks ago, Jazz fans were completely enamored with the prospect of drafting 7’2” center Roy Hibbert from Georgetown. Every mock draft in the world at some point predicted that the Jazz would take Hibbert if he was available. Unfortunately for those entranced Jazz fans Hibbert’s value sky-rocketed like hot stock on Wall Street and he was snatched up by the Indiana Pacers at number 17. Though Utah lost on Hibbert, all was not lost on draft night.
With the 23rd pick in the draft the Jazz ended up grabbing Kosta Koufos out of Ohio State. A lot of fans may not be aware of what kind of talent the 7 footer has, but what they need to know is that he could be a great fit for Jerry Sloan’s offense.
Koufos is extremely skilled on the offense end of the floor. He has a nice right handed hook in the post and has the unique ability to hit a turnaround jump shot from either block. Koufos is similar to Mehmet Okur with his ability to step away from the basket and knock down outside jump shots. He doesn’t have the range or accuracy of Okur, but, he already has some reliable post moves that will create scoring opportunities immediately both in the paint and on the perimeter.
Like Okur, Koufos will be able to run a similar pick-and-pop with point guard Deron Williams, if he gets the opportunity to play while Williams is on the court.
One down side about the center unfortunately is his defense. Though he is very long he will struggle early in his career against stronger, skilled post players. He has the ability to block some shots from the weak side with his help defense where his length will make it difficult for players to score. He won’t block shots like Andrei Kirilenko or Paul Millsap, but he should help protect the rim when opponents penetrate from the perimeter.
Koufos is a huge upgrade on the offense end over current back up big man Jarron Collins. Collins is better defensively but often found himself sitting on the bench for entire games last season because of his non-existent offense game. Koufos’ length and superior offensive ability could give him an edge over Collins for plating time in his rookie season.
An interesting note about Koufos is that he was born in America but also has citizenship in Greece and played for their junior national team in 2007. He played in the Under 18 European Championships for Greece where he was named the MVP of the tournament after averaging 26.5 points per game.
Another benefit the Jazz will receive from drafting Koufos involves their second round pick from last years draft via a trade with the 76ers, Kyrylo Fessenko. Drafting a talented center could be a big motivational boost for Fess, who was a D-League All Star for the Jazz affiliate Utah Flash last year in his rookie season.
The 7’2” Fessenko had some good moments in his brief NBA game action last season, particularly in his debut against the Los Angeles Lakers early in the year when Okur and Carlos Boozer. Fess was knocking guys around, banging on the boards, and showed some finesse by rebounding his own missed free throw and finishing at the basket, showing surprising athletic ability for a player his size.
Fessenko has a lot of potential, and maybe the idea of another player taking opportunities away from him will push him this off season to become an NBA contributor for Utah next season.
With their first of two second round draft picks Utah got even bigger as they drafted Ante Tomic from Croatia. Tomic is very big, 7’2”, but is likely a few years away from leaving Europe and coming to the NBA, but he has good potential for mid-second round 44th overall draft pick.
Overall it was a solid draft for the Jazz, who bolstered their frontcourt with tremendous size and potential. With 14 players under contract including Koufos and 15 under contract if Miles stays with the Jazz this could be the final roster next November unless GM Kevin O’Connor tries to shake things up with a trade. |
