Koufos' foot problems in the past, Jazz say

Utah's draftee broke foot as high school junior

Last time a plummeting big man dropped to the Jazz, he had foot issues.

Major foot issues.

Curtis Borchardt — selected 18th overall out of Stanford University in the 2002 NBA draft but expected to go higher — was plagued by a stress fracture in his right foot while in college.

The 7-foot center missed his entire 2002-03 rookie season with the Jazz due to a stress fracture in the same foot, which was held together by surgical screws.

He wound up logging just 83 games over the next two seasons, and — his NBA career cut short, in part because of the foot — eventually embarked on a playing career in Spain.

Flash forward to Thursday.

The Jazz drafted 7-foot Ohio State freshman center Kosta Koufos, who was expected to go higher.

As it turns out, Koufos sustained a broken right foot that limited him to 11 games during his junior season at GlenOaks High School in Canton, Ohio.

That fact was considered but did not at all dissuade the Jazz from selecting Koufos with their No. 23 overall pick in the draft's first round.

"All the physicals show nothing," Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor said Friday.

"We put it in the hopper — but he played two years after that, and a lot of people have done that," O'Connor added. "It's not something that's happened recently, and he's played a lot of games since. It's a clean bill of health."

Koufos went on to average 25.9 points, 15.4 rebounds and 5.2 blocks during a full senior season at GlenOaks.

GOOD GRADES: Grades and analysis are in, and the Jazz's report card is worth bringing home.

Longtime ESPN.com draft analyst Chad Ford gave Utah an A- for its selections of not only Koufos but also Croatian center Ante Tomic and Serbian power forward Tadija Dragicevic in the draft's second round.

Ford wrote that "Koufos is a steal here — he's a little like the second coming of Mehmet Okur, a big guy who likes to face the basket but who can mix it up inside," and that "Tomic reminds me of a young Pau Gasol — very skilled but lacks the strength to play in the post."

NBADraft.net's analysis: "Utah must really like what Mehmet Okur gives them because Koufos is essentially the same player. He might not be the toughest 7-footer around, but he is a lights-out perimeter shooter and a legitimate zone buster. He can play pick-and-pop with Deron Williams when Okur needs a breather or gets into foul trouble."

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