NBA Draft Prospect Profile: Farad Cobb

In case you hadn’t heard, the NBA Draft is tonight. Its a night that has not been particularly Bearcat heavy in the past five years, as Lance Stephenson was the last Cincinnati alum to be drafted. (Picked in the second round, 40th overall in 2010). While that tradition will likely continue this year, there is a slim hope that Farad Cobb (or Octavius Ellis) could break the mold. We covered Ellis already so let’s take a look at Cobb.

A 6’1" 170-pound guard out of West Palm Beach, Florida, Cobb may be facing a more difficult road to the NBA than Ellis, who possesses the size to step in and play right away for an NBA team. At just over six feet, Cobb falls below the average height for a shooting guard but he doesn’t have the skills needed to play point guard. He was not a great ball-handler or distributor in college, averaging 1.5 assists per game last season while ranking fifth on the team in usage percentage (20.6 percent).

However, the 23-year-old does bring some promise as a shooter and, as we’ve seen with the Golden State Warriors (well, until Sunday that is), the NBA is relying more and more on shooting from long range. Cobb isn’t Buddy Hield by any means, but he was the best threat for a triple of any Bearcat, netting 39.4 percent of his 3-point chances, which led UC. He also led the squad in 3-pointers attempted (74) and 3-pointers made (188).

That shooting prowess, or at least the potential he showed as a shooter, was enough to earn Cobb a workout invite from the Boston Celtics, a team in desperate need of shooters and with a plethora of draft picks at their disposal. Boston finished 28th in the NBA in 3-point percentage (.335) last season and is the proud owner of five second round picks and eight total tonight. If Cobb were to be selected, it would undoubtedly come in the late second round, when teams are more willing to take a gamble, making Boston a more likely destination than others.

If you’re looking for a current NBA player for comparison, Cobb could turn into a Jason Terry type contributor with a bit more tenacity on defense. He would still need to develop his accuracy from outside to reach that height, which is his ceiling based on what we’ve seen so far, but there is usually a spot or two on any team for a spot-up shooter coming off the bench.

We will find out whether or not Boston, or any other team, sees the same potential tonight.