Daequan Cook was the highest ranked prospect on our 2007 mock draft coming into the camp, and while he didnt consistently play to that level, he showed flashes of how dynamic a scorer he can be, putting everything together in his final game for what was one of the most dominant individual performances here. Cook already can score the ball at an NBA level, and with the trend towards undersized shooting guards of late, he has a very good chance to make significant contributions for a team in his future. The most notable thing about his scoring ability is how he can hit a shot with a hand in his face and how hes so strong and able to hit shots nearly effortlessly from long range, as easy as he does from 10-15 feet out. Cook showed some nice ability with his floaters and pull-up jumpers from mid range, but he didnt really get to show how deadly he can be hitting from long range when he gets on a roll, something thats tough to do here when youre playing in five-minute shifts and plays arent being run for you.
In terms of things Cook brings to the table other than scoring, hes not really going to wow you in any other area just yet. He shows some nice vision and passing ability at times, but he doesnt have the making of being a point guard or even a combo guard unless he makes some drastic changes, though he should be a pretty good passer for a two-guard at the next level. Cook did a solid job on the defensive end, but at 64, hell be at a bit of a disadvantage at the next level, even with his good physical tools. The area Cook needs to work on the most would definitely be his ball-handling, as being able to create for himself would definitely take his game to the next level, and its something many teams would want an undersized scoring guard to possess. He can do some nice things off one or two dribbles, sometimes more, but doesnt look very comfortable when handling the ball for much more than that, and he may have trouble with that at the next level.
Cook projects as a late first or early second rounder if he remains in the draft this year, as all indications say he will. Some teams may shy away from him because he still has things to develop and because of how the final half of his freshman season turned out at Ohio State. But for whatever team that does take him now, before he has the chance to fully develop and rise up the draft charts, something hed likely have done had he gone back to school, they will have pretty good value to look forward to a few years down the road, if Cook doesnt make contributions sooner. Its tough to see Cook falling very far into the second round, if he even does, just because its not easy to leave as dynamic a player on the board for long.
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