Oklahoma Sooners Basketball | Isaiah Cousins a 1st Round Pick?

While all the talk is about Buddy Hield and if he might climb all the way up to Boston at pick three, its the other senior who is quietly climbing draft board in Isaiah Cousins.

While Cousins certainly took a back seat to Hield during the Sooners run to the Final 4, Cousins has the tools to carve out a niche for himself in the NBA. It seems like NBA teams are starting to take notice as Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders tweeted out earlier.

Couple of names have surfaced recently in the draft process. Isaiah Cousins has done well. Well enough to get some call backs in late first

— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) June 9, 2016

Cousins has several things in his game that can translate to the NBA. He shot over 40% from 3 his sophomore, junior, and senior season. Further he more than made the transition to point guard for the Sooners, allowing Jordan Woodard to play off the ball. He also has the frame to be a more than adequate defender, capable of guarding 1-3 on the floor.

While there is a ton of speculation about who will drafted where and rumors abound, a team could do MUCH worse than filling out their roster with Cousins, giving him a chance to develop in an NBA rotational player. Finding a rotation player at the end of the 1st round is about all that a team can ask for. Yes there are the Draymond Green's that are found in the 2nd round, the reality is that if you can find a player that can be an adequate shooter, can be a combo guard, and play some defense, you would always want that player on your team.

Prediction: Cousins sneaks into the first half of the 2nd round, but a late 1st round pick wouldn't shock me.