Can anyone stop big Kofi at this point?
1. Kofi Cockburn - Sacramento Kings
Stats: 26 MPG, 17.2 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.0 SPG, 1.0 BPG
The well known draft evaluators known as the Sacramento Kings have struck gold again, as their top pick this year is already playing like a well seasoned pro. The 22 years old Kofi Cockburn is setting the league on fire thus far with his tremendous 2 way play, as he's putting up some sensational numbers rookie season thus far. The giant from Illinois is already leading this very deep Kings front court with his impressive play, and many scouts feel he still has a ton of unrealized potential. It's scary to think what a few years of seasoning under this Kings organization can do for this kid. There's no doubt that as long as he stays healthy, then Cockburn will be a perennial all star for years to come.
2. Aaron Epps - Denver Nuggets
Stats: 21.3 MPG, 9.9 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.4 SPG, 1.2 BPG
The 19th pick out of this draft class is touted as one of the more ready now prospect, and Epps is showing his CSL ready now game with a strong contending Denver Nuggets team so far. Epps has been a crucial rotation player for this Nuggets bench by providing some good scoring, and solid defense. It shows how much trust the Nuggets coaching staff has in Epps as contending teams usually don't give a ton of big minutes to rookies. The 27 years old big man out of LSU should continue to make an impact off the bench for the Nuggets, as he gets an excellent opportunity to learn from well known commodities such as Karl Anthony Towns and Marques Bolden.
3. Jalen Suggs - Indiana Pacers
Stats: 28.5 MPG, 8.4 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.3 BPG
The number 4 pick in this year's draft is having a very respectable rookie season thus far in Indiana. The highly touted defensive stopper is shooting the ball decently well, and is already showing some very impressive defensive skills. Even though Suggs is only 20 years old, the Pacers coaching staff has given Suggs a ton of minutes in the rotation already, and Suggs is repaying the coaches trust by being an impact player on both ends of the court. Suggs still has a ton of potential left to tap, and I firmly believe this kid will become an all star caliber point guard down the road, as the Pacers organization will be wise to hand him the keys to the offense after a few more seasons of development.
4. Bilal Coulibaly - Chicago Bulls
Stats: 25.6 MPG, 9.4 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.2 BPG
Coulibaly might be one of the more impressive 18 years old prospect I have seen in the CSL in recent years, as this kid is already showing glimpses of being a 2 way stud in the CSL. Coulibaly is already illustrating he has the range to be successful in this league by shooting 37% from the 3 point line on a solid amount of volume. He's also rebounding the ball very well for a guard, and is already being asked by the Bulls coaching staff to be one of their primary on ball defenders. The sky is the limit for this kid, and I believe GM Marcos will extract the most out of Coulibaly's untapped potential as they continue this big rebuild project in Chicago.
5. Cade Cunningham - Phoenix Suns
Stats: 32.8 MPG, 12 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 4.8 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.2 BPG
It was not easy to put a player down for this 5th spot on the rookie ladder, as there were quite a few players that have posted similar stats with some deficiencies in the efficiency department. In the end I decided to go with Cunningham here as he's putting up some nice all around numbers despite horrendous efficiency. The 21 years old giant point guard is being tasked to run the offense for a rebuilding Suns team, and scouts felt efficiency could be an issue during the early parts of Cunningham's career. Even though Cunningham isn't shooting the ball well, he is doing other things well and has shown glimpses of being a future triple double threat with some nice performances. His efficiency should improve with more time with this Suns coaching staff, and hopefully he can become a major piece of this future Suns core as they desperately try to take this well storied franchise back to its glory days.
2020, 2023, 2027, 2035
