Is Kosta Koufus the Denver Nuggets best big man? I honestly don't know, but I think the question is fair and until recently most Nuggets fans would only laugh at the thought.
Konstantine Demetrios "Kosta" Koufos started his career with the Utah Jazz, picked 23rd overall in the 2008 NBA Draft. His first 2 seasons with the Jazz he played sparingly, even spending some time in the D League. He was traded to Minnesota on July 14th 2010, where he only appeared in 39 games and was then traded to Denver in the Carmelo Anthony 3-team trade on February 22, 2011. A lot of fans may remember Timofey Mozgov showing up to Pepsi Center with his former Knick buddies; Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler, and Danilo Gallinari, but nobody cared about this Kosta kid from Minnestoa. Media speculated that Mozgov was a "huge" piece in the trade negotiations and that the New York Knicks front office was reluctant to let him go, even if that meant canceling the "Melo trade". Well it turns out, the Nuggets did land a starting center, but he came from Minnesota not New York.
So let's compare the Denver Nuggets centers. The measurable's are similar, McGee is 7'0 252 lbs., Koufos is 7'0 265 lbs., Mozgov is 7'1 250 lbs and they all have athleticism, however nobody is going to deny JaVale McGee is out of this universe with his athletic ability. When you see Kosta Koufos and the nice bald spot he is forming on his head, you may think he is close to 30 years old. However, Kosta is only 24 years old, compare that to 25 years old for McGee and 26 years old for Mozgov. Kosta is averaging 8.4 points per game in 22 minutes a game. JaVale is averaging 9.4 in 18 minutes per game. Mozgov...well we will just skip him for this exercise. Rebounding, probably the most important stat for a center, especially for a team like the Nuggets. Kosta is averaging 6.8 rebounds compared to JaVale's 4.7 rebounds per game this season. Field goal percentage; Kosta is shooting a career high 61.4% while McGee is at a solid 56.9%. What about protecting the paint? Kosta is averaging a career high 1.4 blocks per game while JaVale is one of the top shot blockers at 2 blocks per game in just 18 minutes a game.
Stats are great but they are not the whole story. Kosta Koufos plays with an edge, he doesn't play nice all the time, he isn't out there to make friends. Kosta will trash talk with anyone, he doesn't care if you are a Hall of Famer or bench warmer, if you cheap shot him, you will hear about it. Kosta also has an intelligence about the game that should not go overlooked. His basketball IQ is high and he is a team player, always doing what is best for the team and winning compared to "getting his". Last night against the Memphis Grizzlies, with less than a minute to go in the game, the Nuggets got a turnover and ran out on the fastbreak. Kosta received a pass under the basket and could have easily gone up to get a score, but instead Kosta dribbled out of the paint wasting about 5-6 seconds worth of valuable time and passing to a guard. Kosta in a nut shell. He cares about the "W" and nothing else. Career high in rebounds during that game, 16, but when asked about it, he said "all I care about is the win". Yep, that's Kosta.
JaVale McGee has the biggest upside, there is no doubting that. McGee can be brilliant at times, potentially an all-star one day. But there are times when he makes poor decisions and doesn't value each possession. Mozgov has a great work ethic. George Karl calls Mozzy a "gym rat", always in the gym working to get better. No doubt he has the best shooting touch of any of the centers, but he struggles to rebound consistently, gets in foul trouble, and seems to have communication break downs frequently with teammates. Kosta Koufos is the most improved center this year and is the starter for a good reason. He is solid, doesn't make mistakes, rebounds, and scores efficiently.
Hopefully Nuggets fans will appreciate how important Kosta Koufos is to the success of this team. I know I do.
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