Jazz fans, tell me about Koufos

[The Sheik]

Koufos strengths:

-Heart
-Work Ethic
-Cares to much

I will only list these as his strengths because IMO thats what he is playing off right now. His range has been about 5-10 ft from the basket and he seems to have a really solid touch from there. He has also showed fans he is working on his game with the addition of more left handed move and finishes.

On pure potential he has great length and athleticism for his size. He has good lateral speed for a guy his size. His potential is limit-less if he keeps his strengths, perhaps not be hard on himself when he makes mistakes. Koufos is just out there out hustling people. He really hasnt adjusted to the flow of the game or become real comfortable with the Jazz offense. Ive seen him in warm ups drill 5-6 3's in row so he definitely has Memos range, but in time he will need to work on the consistency from further out. He has a lot of potential as a defender and shot blocker as well. Although I feel like his greater potential is at shot blocking rather than man defense.

His weaknesses are:

-Man D
-Boxing out and defensive position on rebounds
-Little to shoot happy, but he has improve his passing a little

All in all I think at worst Kosta is Millsap off the bench. At best I think he is Memo plus D(with a few all-star appearances thrown in) and starting at a younger age and playing bball his whole life might make him better then that. Considering we picked him where we did and the bust rates in that range being as hit or miss as they're we got a steal in Kosta.

[Soul Patch]

Sheik nailed it.

[jazzfan1971]

I really like having him on the floor. When he comes in, I'm happy. When he goes out I'm sad. That says quite a bit I think. He really brings a lot to the table out there. He'd be best paired with a good offensive PF. Say a Boozer or Okur. So that he can live off putbacks, dunks, and wide open 12 foot jumpers.

He's excellent for a rookie. He's fantastic for a 19 year old rookie. I think he couid challenge for a starting spot on a third of the teams in the league all ready.

Boston
Chicago
Dallas
Indiana
Memphis
Miami
Knicks
Thunder
SUns
Spurs
Wizards

[fivas14]

^

You're crazy. Probably not even half of those teams. Boston? Seriously?

[JStockLivesOn]

For a 19 year old rookie, he's playing extremely well right now.

Basically the guy loves to attack, he loves to go after shots, grab boards, and dunk the ball in transition. He's huge, his wingspan is ridiculous, and his athleticism is superb for his size.

If he can stay healthy (knock on wood) he has a very bright future. There is no reason that a year or two from now he shouldn't be as good or better then Andrew Bogut is in his current state, and his ceiling appears to be significantly higher.

He'll never be as good a passer as Bogut, but he definitely has the potential to eclipse him in other areas.

[carrottop12]

Bogut's passing has been unspectacular in the NBA I feel. He still has good vision, but his assist numbers aren't anything special for a C, I expected more.

[erudite23]

Kosta is just brimming with potential.

Big guys are a different animal, but the way he moves on the floor, the fluidity with which he finishes at the hoop, the way he runs the court so smooth and effortlessly, the way he gives it absolutely everything he has....its hard not to love his prospects down the road.


I mean, his youth is by far his biggest weakness right now. He comes in, and you can just see that he is so nervous and so eager to please that he often loses his assignment or gets over zealous and makes a stupid foul or contests a shot he has no chance at altering (let alone blocking) and thereby giving up his position to rebound the potential miss....its all mental with him right now. And, really, with just how lost and confused he is at times, it is a testament to everything else he brings that he is still getting PT.

In a lot of ways, he is similar to Ronnie Brewer as a rookie. Ronnie was obviously a real talent, but he made so damn many mental mistakes that Jerry couldn't justify keeping him out there. Kosta is almost as bad, but he hustles so hard, plays so fundamentally sound in other ways, and is so gifted physically on top of that that he still earns regular court time.


Long term, the only thing that will hold him back is rebounding. Right now he is only posting a rebound rate of 14 or so. That is barely decent for a PF. For a C, that is downright bad. If he can get it up into the 16 + range, he has a borderline chance to be a star. If he can get it up into the 18+ range (among the best handful of centers in the league), then he will be a star. The only way Kosta Koufos will bust is if he sustains a serious injury. Health willing, he will be a good starter in this league, at the very least. His ceiling, at this point in time, looks to be as high as all but the elite of the elite.


In a season full of angst and disappointment, he is the lone beacon of joy.

[cjs55]

Our frontcourt for the future may very well end up being AK/Milsap/Koufos. I think even starting next year this could be pretty awesome. For one thing, it would be nice to see the Jazz be at the top of the league in blocks...

One amazing thing in my opinion is that even if we lose Boozer and Okur this offseason, we'd still be very well off for the future. We have a great up-coming center in Koufos, Millsap is going to be a fantastic starting PF for a long time if he stays injury free, and we have the NY pick coming up that we'd probably hold on to if we did lose Okur and Boozer.

Cheers to the Jazz front office for their drafting excellence.

In a season full of angst and disappointment, he is the lone beacon of joy.

Millsap???

[Tabasco]

So are you saying Koufos has the ability to be at a level only surpassed by the likes of Wilt, Russell, Shaq, Olajuwon, etc.? The elite of the elite? Lol, not a chance.

[jazzed77]

So are you saying Koufos has the ability to be at a level only surpassed by the likes of Wilt, Russell, Shaq, Olajuwon, etc.? The elite of the elite? Lol, not a chance.

how the hell does what anyone has said = "all time great" to you!?!? or do you consider Bogut at that level?

[JStockLivesOn]

Bogut's passing has been unspectacular in the NBA I feel. He still has good vision, but his assist numbers aren't anything special for a C, I expected more.

I tend to dismiss the stats because some of his finishers are so atrocious, but it's a fair point.

[JStockLivesOn]

So are you saying Koufos has the ability to be at a level only surpassed by the likes of Wilt, Russell, Shaq, Olajuwon, etc.? The elite of the elite? Lol, not a chance.

I'm pretty sure "the elite of the elite" was in reference to active players.

[erudite23]

So are you saying Koufos has the ability to be at a level only surpassed by the likes of Wilt, Russell, Shaq, Olajuwon, etc.? The elite of the elite? Lol, not a chance.

I'm pretty sure "the elite of the elite" was in reference to active players.

Thanks for the sense, it is--sadly--an all-too-rare quality in places like these, it seems.


My point being, there are an elite group of big man prospects at any given time in the world. Among them there are usually a generous list of busts. Quite a few disappointments who never make it big, but who end up playing in the NBA for a long time, several "solid big guys", a handful of elite guys who make multiple All-Star games and garner max money contracts, and then just a few at a time who are an unbelievable combination of athleticism, skill and work ethic.

My point is that Kosta can be anywhere on that chain except the last list. That is reserved for guys like Shaq, Dwight, Yao etc. He could absolutely be a guy like Bosh is right now (even though Bosh might move up into the next category himself, I don't think he's there at the minute) or say on the level of Pau Gasol, Elton Brand, or Jermaine O'Neal.


That is the limit of where he could reasonably hope to achieve, though his likely level of achievement is something closer to a Brad Miller-level. Which would still be nothing to sneeze at.

Is that clear enough for you, or do you just think its ridiculous to say it?

[erudite23]

In a season full of angst and disappointment, he is the lone beacon of joy.

Millsap???

Actually, no.

If anything, watching Millsap do what he's done has really pissed me off. He hasn't surprised me much. I knew he had it in him to play like he has, the only question in my mind was whether he could be consistent and do it on a game-by-game basis, or if playing big minutes night after night would reduce his effectiveness.

But he is 6 months away from getting paid. A franchise like us doesn't make hay by getting a guy at equal value. We have to get guys locked up and playing above the level of their contract if we're going to be successful, because we just can't compete with the salaries of the other teams. Having DWill at such a bargain basement price for the last two years has saved our asses. Having Carlos playing like a 15 million dollar player while only getting 11.8 has really helped us. Having Millsap give us 6 mil a year for only 600k is the same. Its not just a bonus. We have to have it to compete at a high level.

I was really, really banking on us getting Millsap for 7 or 8 million--or hell, even the 5m that Maxiel got from Detroit--after another season of playiing off the bench and being kept under wraps.

Now the cat is out of the bag, and he will likely be OVERpaid instead. Its really upset me, because he was a big opportunity for us to secure a quality player at a discount price.

While I've loved seeing him prove that he can hang consistently as a go-to option, I have been very upset for the long term salary implications involved.

[Tabasco]

So are you saying Koufos has the ability to be at a level only surpassed by the likes of Wilt, Russell, Shaq, Olajuwon, etc.? The elite of the elite? Lol, not a chance.

I'm pretty sure "the elite of the elite" was in reference to active players.

Thanks for the sense, it is--sadly--an all-too-rare quality in places like these, it seems.


My point being, there are an elite group of big man prospects at any given time in the world. Among them there are usually a generous list of busts. Quite a few disappointments who never make it big, but who end up playing in the NBA for a long time, several "solid big guys", a handful of elite guys who make multiple All-Star games and garner max money contracts, and then just a few at a time who are an unbelievable combination of athleticism, skill and work ethic.

My point is that Kosta can be anywhere on that chain except the last list. That is reserved for guys like Shaq, Dwight, Yao etc. He could absolutely be a guy like Bosh is right now (even though Bosh might move up into the next category himself, I don't think he's there at the minute) or say on the level of Pau Gasol, Elton Brand, or Jermaine O'Neal.


That is the limit of where he could reasonably hope to achieve, though his likely level of achievement is something closer to a Brad Miller-level. Which would still be nothing to sneeze at.

Is that clear enough for you, or do you just think its ridiculous to say it?

I understand what you're saying now. I just don't think there are 2 levels of "elite" among active players. Especially among centers. Hence the reason I thought you meant all-time players.

[freakazoid]

you know a jazz game before i remember you posting here.

Yeah, I know.

Kinda like how I remember J-Kidd being the heart of your team before you decided to hang it up.

before I remember you posing as a Nets/ Wanna -be Jazz fan.

Don't mind freak, he's some troll from Jazzfanz who's been recently suspended and possibly banned. His personal attacks are out of control recently, I suspect it's due to some personal problems increasing his insecurity of people.

Dude, I'm sorry I couldn't get you reinstated. I really tried, but they seriously hate you. Get over it.

At least you aint a Jersey Dweeb.

Last I heard, New Jersey dweeb was hanging on the turnpike hoping to bang with the Sopranos. Idget.