Draft Projection: Lottery to mid first round
Similarities: Darko Milicic
Averaged 26.5 points, 13 rebounds, 3.5 blocks or 1.4 steals in the U-18
European Championships this summer.
Positives: Skilled big man with excellent size, length and good body. Has a 7-foot-4 inch wingspan. Has great strength and good, but not great athleticism for his size. Has offensive skills both inside and out. Nice moves and footwork in the paint. Excellent midrange shooter with very consistent range out to 18 feet. Has 3-point range as well, but is much more streaky from there. He lacks the explosiveness to be an elite shot-blocker, but his timing is good. Decent rebounder. Good passer out of double-teams. Is pretty mobile for a big man.
Negatives: Needs polish and experience. Can be a disinterested defender at times. Lacks aggressiveness at times. Lacks lateral quickness. Can sometimes lose his confidence and then his game falls apart. Needs to be able to handle contact in the paint better.
Summary: His excellent play in the summer for the Greek national team seems to have only carried over so far. Scouts still think Koufos is a terrific prospect with great size, basketball IQ and the ability to stretch the defense with a silky smooth jumper. But his inconsistency against college big men, lack of rebounding and so-so shot-blocking numbers all have scouts saying he may need to wait another year if he really wants to strike gold in the lottery. Nevertheless, Koufos has declared for the draft and projects as a potential lottery pick.




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