Scouting Shorts: Kofi Cockburn, Ron Harper Jr., & Johnny Juzang
A year ago, all three withdrew from the 2021 NBA Draft to seek an increase in their draft stock. All in on this year's draft, we now wonder: did those decisions pay off?
Every year, prospects test the waters of the NBA Draft. They look for feedback for where they stand in comparison to other draftable players, areas they can or need to improve for teams to feel comfortable drafting them, and the landscape around them in their unique class. Often, there’s value in just going through the process so that, a year later when they actually declare for the draft and intend to stay in, they’ll have familiarity with how to succeed in the chaotic months before the draft.
This cycle, three prospects who made decisions to withdraw last year are back again, this time all-in. Kofi Cockburn, Ron Harper Jr. and Johnny Juzang were second-round potential guys a season ago, all coming off wildly successful seasons for their college programs. All three tested the waters before deciding to return to the NCAA ranks.
Evaluating whether that decision was worthwhile is tricky to do. The answer won’t be revealed on draft night, although many times we rush to that conclusion. If a perceived draft position last year is greater than the spot a guy goes this year, we tend to want to criticize the decision. But an extra year of development before the clock starts ticking on that rookie scale contract can prime guys for sustainable impact at the NBA level.
We’ll dive into Cockburn, Harper and Juzang — their strengths as players, what they may have gained or lost with the extra year in college, where their draft stock stands in the 2022 class, and what to expect from them in the NBA.
Kofi Cockburn, Illinois
A year ago, the Fighting Illini were on top of the college basketball landscape. A one-seed in the NCAA Tournament, head coach Brad Underwood had captured lightning in a bottle. They had an All-American in Ayo Dosunmu, a stout defense, efficient offense and a big man in Kofi Cockburn to tie things together on the interior on both ends.
Cockburn’s impact was built on his gargantuan stature, decent athleticism and incredibly high motor. He brutalized opponents on the interior, dominated the glass and flashed solid defensive instincts to boot. At 7’0” and 285 pounds, he’s a hoss to play against 1v1.
Kofi earned a mid-2nd round grade in our draft rankings in 2021 before withdrawing and heading back to school. The translation to the pros was very clear: he’d be a big man to play in Drop coverage, a roll man finisher, an energy big on the glass and play a supremely classic role in that regard. Not a lot of hope for the jumper or adding stretch range, not a guy who can or should play off the bounce. Just your classic rebound-and-finish big.
The decision to go back to school, therefore, was a strange one to us. Cockburn needed to add polish to his game and keep getting better, but we thought he could do that for NBA success in the G-League and in the NBA just as easily. Cockburn’s skill set wouldn’t need to expand to show impact, and cashing out as Dosunmu and the gang left Champaign would be a wise move.
A year later, Cockburn had a pretty good showing on his own and is still in roughly the same draft range, if not a few spots later. He averaged 20.9 points, 10.6 rebounds, 1.0 blocks and really improved his free throw shooting (from 55% to 65%). There were no layers added to his game: his perimeter creation and feel for the game have gotten better simply due to being a year older and getting more reps, not becoming strengths.
Cockburn finds himself as a mid-late 2nd round prospect and a guy many pundits believe is more likely to go undrafted. That may not be a terrible situation, as Cockburn and his agent could then select the home for him to start his career. We believe he’s a top-60 player in this class and a safer bet to make a positive impact than a few big men rumored to be going in the first round. Kofi flies a bit under the radar because he’s seen as old news, another guy who looks the same as he did last year, losing shine when the new toys are available. But we buy into Kofi’s impact as one that will get him a roster spot in the NBA.
Ron Harper Jr., Rutgers
