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Illinois Basketball: Should Illini C Kofi Cockburn enter the 2020 NBA Draft?

By Jalen Wilson

CHAMPAIGN, IL - JANUARY 30: Illinois Fighting Illini center Kofi Cockburn (21) walks across the court during the Big Ten Conference college basketball game between the Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Illinois Fighting Illini on January 30, 2020, at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - JANUARY 30: Illinois Fighting Illini center Kofi Cockburn (21) walks across the court during the Big Ten Conference college basketball game between the Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Illinois Fighting Illini on January 30, 2020, at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Kofi Cockburn has played tremendously for the Illinois basketball team this season.

Kofi’s tremendous play this year has left fans wondering; will he enter the NBA Draft?

Illinois was able to snag Kofi from the class of 2019. He was ranked as the No. 46 player in the nation and came in with a lot of hype. His play this season hasn’t disappointed either. Kofi is averaging 14 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 53-percent from the field. He has also won seven Big Ten Freshman of the Week awards this year.

All of this stuff brings up the questions; should Kofi enter the NBA Draft this year and is he ready for the NBA?

My answer to these questions is, no.

Yes, Kofi has played great this season, but he still has to work on a lot to be ready for the NBA. He is still a very raw player offensively. This may have been noticeable the past two games against Michigan and Iowa.

Against Iowa, he only had 6 points and 6 rebounds, and he was in foul trouble against Iowa big man, Luka Garza. Against Michigan, he had 5 points and 3 rebounds and was also in foul trouble that game as well.

Kofi doesn’t have a good back to the basket game, and he has little to no jump shot. Players can get away with being more physically gifted than other players in college while still being raw offensively. Being more physically gifted than most players will likely catch up with a player in the NBA. Kofi just won’t be able to bully top NBA centers because they are more polished than every center in college right now.

Defensively, Kofi is good. He does get beat with some post moves, but every center gets taken to school in the post at some point. The only thing he needs to improve on is his pick and pop defense.

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I am all for a player wanting to get his money, but if Kofi wants a long career in the NBA, he should stay and develop more with the Illini. This season still has a long way to go, so we will see if Kofi’s game can develop a little bit more.

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