The heavens recently opened up and dropped Michigan State center and team captain Jaxon Kohler in the lap of post-player-seeking BYU basketball coach Kevin Young.
Actually, it wasn’t a heaven drop. It was a transfer portal delivery.
All the same, this move late last week may move Young’s Cougars from a middle-of-the-pack Big 12 team to a contender — at least in the top five of league expectations.
Experts call him an elite rebounder, a tough, hard-playing athlete with an excellent pop-and-shoot ability from the pick-and-roll. His range, his consistency and his brute strength give Young a valuable presence inside. And he can pass.
Just what Young needed.
Consider: Kohler, who is 6 foot 10 and 245 pounds, shot an amazing 38.9% from beyond the arc last year at Michigan State.
That 39% from distance (58 makes in 149 attempts) was better than last year’s Cougar stars AJ Dybantsa (.331 on 49 of 148), Kennard Davis (.321 at 53 for 165) and shooting machine Richie Saunders (.376 on 64 of 170). Only Robert Wright III shot better, at .410 on 119 of 145 attempts. Dawson Baker, injured early in the season, did shoot .474 from beyond the arc, but had just 19 attempts and made nine.
That’s a pretty big weapon.
So is his nearly nine rebounds per game.
And then there’s this: At Michigan State last year, Kohler shot an impressive 86.9 from the free-throw line. He made 53 of 61 attempts. While his attempts at the line were not close to Dybantsa (229 of 296 for .774), Saunders (89-109 for .817) or Wright (119-145 for .821), his percentage was better than any Cougar starter.
And remember, BYU’s center last year, Keba Keita, shot 55% from the line.
No wonder Young is smiling.
He just added the best remaining center in the transfer portal to his roster.
And he already retained the best point guard from the portal in Wright.
In another recruiting matchup with Kentucky’s Mark Pope, Young won yet again.
“Mark Pope might be the best recruiter for BYU,” zinged “Locked On Big 12″ podcaster Drake Toll.
Kohler was not drafted this past spring and MSU coach Tom Izzo filled his roster spot in Lansing. He then played a few NBA summer league games for the Utah Jazz.
The praise for Kohler follows him to Provo.
Said Izzo after a strong rebounding game vs. Wisconsin: “Heart. … He’s a monster.”
Izzo has compared Kohler’s improvement trajectory to Draymond Green. “He’s this year’s version of a Draymond Green, that he just kept getting better every year.”
Izzo noted Zach Randolph qualities: “He has great hands, a nose for the ball, and playing possessed … like a heat-seeking missile.”
Izzo also said he can shoot, score in the post, and is one of their best rebounders, complimenting his work ethic and consistency in practice.
His MSU position coach Doug Wojcik added his take.
“He’s just so fundamentally sound that he knows where he needs to be. … We had some defensive possessions against Wisconsin that were just elite (because of his positioning),” Wojcik said. “It’s emotional for me. And his ability to get the ball off the glass? It’s unbelievable. … We know that he’s just gonna go get it. … And that’s had a big effect on (our bigs). It’s contagious.”
High school recruiting expert for ESPN Paul Biancardi’s evaluation of Kohler in the Class of 2022 is that the American Fork, Utah, native had the best footwork in the 2022 class.
“Kohler is a very skilled and productive post prospect who has one of the highest floors in the class nationally. He has good hands, outstanding footwork, a soft touch, and can score in a variety of ways from the low and high post or short-corner areas. … Finishes with both hands, has a consistent hook shot, and can face up from midrange.”
Biancardi used Kohler’s nicknames — “The Big Footwork” and “Baby Jokic” — and pointed out Kohler studied Hakeem Olajuwon’s post moves.
“Kohler has excellent hands, polished footwork and a soft touch with either hand around the basket, finishing through contact with hooks, up-and-unders and face-up moves from the midrange.
“What elevated him as a senior was the 3-point shot. … His free-throw shooting at 86.9 percent reinforces the idea that he’s a legitimate floor-spacing big … his feel and motor compensate for some of the athletic limitations.
“Comparisons include elements of Kevin Love (skill-based) and Domantas Sabonis (post craft), or a more skilled Daniel Theis/Drew Eubanks.”
The NBA Draft Room scouting report read: “A highly skilled and fundamentally sound big man who has made steady improvements. … Has good ball skills and is a really smart offensive player. Sets good screens, plays with good positioning and has become a really good shooter. His ability to space the floor is the skill that will get him an NBA look.”
Shawn Windsor, a columnist for the Detroit Free Press, posted that Kohler transformed into “a tough guy. An energy guy. A defensive-and-rebounding-minded savant who is always in the right spot. … Not only had he transformed his body … but he’d reworked his identity. Works, studies, and anticipates like Green.”
So, how big is it that the Cougars got Kohler?
Imagine what Young would fight through in Big 12 games without him.
There’s your answer.
