Minnesota Sports Forum

Second Round Big Board 2.0: Updated my last list to add the following players: Vince Williams (3 and D prospect) and stash candidates Leonard Miller and Yanick Nzsosa. I also made a few adjustments to my rankings based on additional research.

1. Kennedy Chandler (6"0 PG from Tennessee, 19 years old, a bit undersized but has 6'5 wingspan, best vertical at Combine at 41.5" quick, aggressive, decent ballhandler and passer, can shoot from deep (38.3%) and attack rim, 2.2 steals, was top ranked point guard by Rivals in his high school class, has starter upside)
2. Kris Murray (Iowa, great stats on a per minute, good 3 and D potential, could shine with more minutes and has potential to be similar player to his projected lottery pick identical twin brother)
3. Christian Koloko (7'1 center, good shot blocker and rebounder, one of best defenders in college, has great length w 7"5.25 wingspan and big hands, steady improvement over his three years at Arizona, 66.1% TS)
4. Jalen Williams (6'6 very lengthy guard (7'2.25 wingspan) with 39" vertical from Santa Clara who can do a bit of everything, darling of the combine, shot nearly 40% from outside last year, 51% overall, while scoring 18 pts with more than 4 assists and rebounds per game)
5. Justin Lewis (6'7 forward with 7'2.5 wingspan, love his 3 and D potential, and improvement while at Marquette, 16.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, 34.9% threes )
6. Andrew Nembhard (6'5 point guard from Gonzaga, good ball handler and passer (5.8 assists, 1.9 turnovers), can shoot from deep (38.3%), decent size, had a great showing at combine with 11 assists and an efficient 26 points)
7. Dom Barlow (6"10 forward with 7"3 wingspan, big hands and good athleticism, jumped from HS to Team Overtime (played with Jean Montero and I think he's a better prospect) and showed good development, good range and good touch, TS above 63%, decent rebounding, good blocks and steals, 76.4% free throws, improved his three point shooting to 40% during second half of year, shot very well at Combine games (9 of 13) still only 18 (edit: he turned 19 today as May 26 is his birthday) and said to be a hard worker)
8. Christian Braun (Shot 38.4% threes during his 3 years of college, had a 40 inch vertical at Combine, considered the best perimeter defender at Kansas, has some 3 and D potential)
9. Dalen Terry (6"7 guard from Arizona, 19 years old, who can shoot efficiently and pass, 3.9 assists to 1.4 turnovers, not much of a scorer, but appears to be a good defender, has 7.075 wingspan and shot 3s at a 36.4% clip, so perhaps he has 3 and D potential with some ballhandling/passing skills)
10. Vince Williams (6'6 guard from VCU with 6'11.5 wingspan, older but really developed his outside shooting to shoot at 40% over last two years, his free throw shooting averaged over 80% last three years to validate his shooting, 1.6 steals, 1.1 blocks, stats, net rating and nice wingspan translate to 3 and D potential, also had 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists, so has the possibility of being more than 3 and D, not a big time scorer but he is efficient and could be a good rotation role player)
11. David Roddy (Colorado, Improved his outside shot and scoring every year, can rebound, pass, get steals and blocks with a good net rating, only 6"5 but has a 6'11.5 wingspan, 255 pounds, I think the only thing keeping him from a much higher rating, apart from his age, is he looks more like a football player with his bowling ball shape, but perhaps, appearances can be deceiving)
12. Ismael Kamagate (6'11 center with 7'3 or 7'4 wingspan depending on source, good shot blocker, efficient scorer, lean build, appears athletic for big man, played in France)
13. Josh Minott (6'8 G from Memphis with 6'11 wingspan, very efficient scorer, didn't get a lot of minutes, but has excellent per minute numbers)
14. Leonard Miller (6'9 forward with 7"2 wingspan, Canadian HS player looking to make jump to pros, love his length and athleticism, and guard skills as he had growth spurt, 18 years old, super raw, he bullied guys in high school, but he had rough game at combine and his shooting mechanics need a lot of work, I only view him as a stash candidate as I think he needs two years of developmental work)
15. Yanick Nzosa (He's only 18 (birthday in November). He has huge 7'6 wingspan. He plays in the Spanish league. He is a good rim protector/shot blocker with Clint Capela type upside potential. He's definitely raw, and could use a couple more years playing overseas, but his upside as a shot blocker is so intriguing that he had been considered a lottery pick at one time.
16. Ryan Rollins (6'3 guard, played at Toledo, with 6'9.75 wingspan, good shooting range, 3.6 assists)
17. Orlando Robinson (big who played at Fresno State, has 7'4 wingspan, steadily improved his scoring and outside shooting, last year scored 19.4 points per game and shot just over 35% from deep (though on small volume, 1 3PM), 8.4 rebounds)
18. 21.Julian Champagnie (6'8 guard from St. Johns with 6'10 wingspan, last year he scored 19.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.0 steals, 1.1 blocks, made 2.4 and 2.1 triples the past two years, may have some 3 and D potential, identical twin brother Justin signed a contact with the Raptors last year)
19. Gabriele Procida (played in Italy, 6'7 forward with 6'8 wingspan, shot 39% from 3s over past three years, solid defender)
20. Jabari Walker (6"8 Colorado Forward with 6' 10.75 wingspan, standout at the Combine, shot nearly 40% (39.9%) in college from deep, 9.4 rebounds)
21. Kofi Cockburn (Illinois center, 7'0 has 7' 4.25' wingspan, excellent rebounder (13.8 ) and decent shot blocker)

I'll chime in a bit about Kofi Cockburn especially as a possible target with a later 2nd round pick or even as a guy who could stick in the league. I had wondered about his physical measurements and now we have them. He is 6'11" without shoes and a lengthy 7'4" wingspan but only 9'2" standing read which does not compute. Lol he also weighed in at 293 lbs and 8% body fat. That simply is a large human being. He would have been a 1st round pick in the Shaq era for sure. I do still question his ability to stay in the league but he does move well for someone with that sheer size. He seems to be a guy that runs well in a straight line. For a guy with his physical profile it seem like he would be a more dominate rebounder. On the other hand Illinois was ranked 46th in rebounds and that was despite having nobody other than Cockburn average more than 5 rebounds a game. Maybe a slower pace led to fewer rebounds.

Cockburn also doesn't have volume shotblocking numbers. That's a little concerning but you don't have to protect the rim just by blocking shots. He also doesn't seem particularly explosive vertically unless he time or a bit of a runway to load up which makes sense considering he is almost 300 lbs. Still a guy with his size taking up space walling up and jumping a few inches should be a deterrent around the basket. I think the question is more about whether or not he is a smart defender to take advantage of those physical gifts. Illinois wasn't a good defensive team but I'm not going to assume that means Cockburn isn't good on that end. I don't know enough about him to comment on his defensive acumen further. I still think he will struggle to move his feet at times but I do see him having a chance to be useful as a part time player or if he is actually kinda good playing in the right scheme.

Ultimately for a guy that could be someone you can take a flyer on in the 2nd round I'd be down with that. Guys like him are partly why I'm not sure I would take a Mark Williams at #19 even though he is certainly a better prospect than Cockburn. You can make that argument throughout the whole draft at various positions but I do think true centers are legitimately undervalued in the league (to some extent rightly so) so they can drop like Cockburn who might not even be drafted. I wonder if he is a guy that would be willing to be drafted by a team in the 2nd round with the agreement he would sign a 2-way deal.

monsterpile wrote:I'll chime in a bit about Kofi Cockburn especially as a possible target with a later 2nd round pick or even as a guy who could stick in the league. I had wondered about his physical measurements and now we have them. He is 6'11" without shoes and a lengthy 7'4" wingspan but only 9'2" standing read which does not compute. Lol he also weighed in at 293 lbs and 8% body fat. That simply is a large human being. He would have been a 1st round pick in the Shaq era for sure. I do still question his ability to stay in the league but he does move well for someone with that sheer size. He seems to be a guy that runs well in a straight line. For a guy with his physical profile it seem like he would be a more dominate rebounder. On the other hand Illinois was ranked 46th in rebounds and that was despite having nobody other than Cockburn average more than 5 rebounds a game. Maybe a slower pace led to fewer rebounds.

Cockburn also doesn't have volume shotblocking numbers. That's a little concerning but you don't have to protect the rim just by blocking shots. He also doesn't seem particularly explosive vertically unless he time or a bit of a runway to load up which makes sense considering he is almost 300 lbs. Still a guy with his size taking up space walling up and jumping a few inches should be a deterrent around the basket. I think the question is more about whether or not he is a smart defender to take advantage of those physical gifts. Illinois wasn't a good defensive team but I'm not going to assume that means Cockburn isn't good on that end. I don't know enough about him to comment on his defensive acumen further. I still think he will struggle to move his feet at times but I do see him having a chance to be useful as a part time player or if he is actually kinda good playing in the right scheme.

Ultimately for a guy that could be someone you can take a flyer on in the 2nd round I'd be down with that. Guys like him are partly why I'm not sure I would take a Mark Williams at #19 even though he is certainly a better prospect than Cockburn. You can make that argument throughout the whole draft at various positions but I do think true centers are legitimately undervalued in the league (to some extent rightly so) so they can drop like Cockburn who might not even be drafted. I wonder if he is a guy that would be willing to be drafted by a team in the 2nd round with the agreement he would sign a 2-way deal.

Good analysis. I like Mark Williams, but if we just want a rim protector, I'd rather use pick 19 on someone who could help in other areas as I agree that there will be plenty of opportunities to get a rim protector in the second round and Cockburn is actually projected to be undrafted by most draft sites, so we might have the opportunity to sign him as a free agent.

Fine with signing Cockburn as an undrafted rookie, but that guy is going to get played off the floor most nights in today's league. Too heavy-footed.

OK, that's based on watching him for like a half of basketball, but that was my first impression.

Q-was-here wrote:Fine with signing Cockburn as an undrafted rookie, but that guy is going to get played off the floor most nights in today's league. Too heavy-footed.

OK, that's based on watching him for like a half of basketball, but that was my first impression.

Yes, he's not worth drafting, but ok to sign. There should be better bigs available. I actually hope we address the starting big situation in free agency and draft a backup big in the second round that we could groom into a future starter or contributing rotation piece.

If Cockburn's available in the second round there is zero reason not to take him. He has shortcomings in the modern game, but he fills a hole the Wolves currently have in being a huge body that can stop teams from driving to the rim with no one to stop them. If he plays 8 minutes every 4 games he's worth a second rounder and his body is NBA ready

Cockburn is big for nothing. He's Ervin Johnson in the pros.

If Leonard Miller slides to 40, take him and see if this team can develop their own guys

WildWolf2813 wrote:Cockburn is big for nothing. He's Ervin Johnson in the pros.

If Leonard Miller slides to 40, take him and see if this team can develop their own guys

Absolutely agree that the Wolves should grab Leonard Miller's if he slides to 40.

Cockburn lacks lateral speed. His straight line speed is very good for his size.

When you look at the work he's put in to transform his body and the energy he expends on the court he's already answered any size and/or work ethic questions.

At some point in the near future some NBA team is going to figure out that 66% from 2 feet is every bit as effective as 33% from 24 feet. The big unstoppable force is still a weapon whose defensive liabilities can be limited in a zone.

leado01 wrote:Cockburn lacks lateral speed. His straight line speed is very good for his size.

When you look at the work he's put in to transform his body and the energy he expends on the court he's already answered any size and/or work ethic questions.

At some point in the near future some NBA team is going to figure out that 66% from 2 feet is every bit as effective as 33% from 24 feet. The big unstoppable force is still a weapon whose defensive liabilities can be limited in a zone.

I think Kofi issue is though he just overpowered people in college. He won't be able to do that in the NBA and he isn't so athletic where he plays above the rim.

Besides a possible solid NBA rebounder I don't know if he has any average NBA skill