2016 Houston Rockets Draft Prospect Series: Petr Cornelie

The 2016 NBA Draft will take place on Thursday June 23rd with the Houston Rockets selecting 37th and 43rd. With that Space City Scoop is featuring a Draft Prospect Series covering 60 of the top ranked prospects. Next up is Petr Cornelie

Draft Prospect:

Specifics:

Height: 6’11 “
Weight: 220
Country: France, Calais
Position: Power Forward
Age: 20
Wingspan: 7’1″
College or Pro League: International team Le Mans
Stat line: 39 Games, 8.8 Points Per Game, 5.1 Rebounds Per Game, 0.3 Assists Per Game

Current Rank:

Please note, the rankings below come from the most up to date versions as the time of writing. That said not all the mock drafts provide second round ranks or updates often only extend to the end of the first round.

Therefore, if you check a ranking and note the number has changed it’s likely due to updates and a shift in the rankings.

ESPN Chad Ford: 50

Draft Express: 39

NBA Scott Howard Cooper: 28

Bleacher Report: 29

The Skills:

Cornelie comes from a legacy of basketball players. His Father, Mother and sister have all played either internationally or overseas professionally. His sister also played for the Dayton Flyers.

As per Draft Express:

Standing 7-feet ½ without shoes, with a 7’1 wingspan, Cornelie is a smooth athlete who moves fluidly and plays above the rim with ease. He’s a “stretch 4-man” in his words who possesses a beautiful jump-shot complete with a high release point and a very natural touch, shooting 40% from beyond the arc this season.

Cornelie has made major strides with his approach to the game this year, and looked like a veteran in the pro game we took in, scoring 14 points and grabbing 5 rebounds in 14 foul plagued minutes of action. He plays with great confidence and maturity in a tough and physical league, and although he struggles with the lack of bulk he possesses relative to the older players he faces, he shows great potential defensively on the perimeter thanks to his quick feet and ability to switch on ball screens.

Finally, he draws rave reviews for his personality from everyone that has been around him, and came off as being highly engaging and possibly the best interview we conducted from the many players we spoke with on this trip.

Weaknesses:

It was a mixed bag at the Euro Camp where unfortunately Cornelie’s long range shot abandoned him as Draft Express highlighted in their review:

"His outside shot, however, betrayed him a bit early in the day, a trend that carried into the evening game as well. Showing stretch potential all season long in Le Mans by way of 40% from three on 103 attempts, Cornelie struggled to command his three ball as he didn’t get consistent rotation and regularly finished with a follow through bending to his left rather than toward the rim. The 20-year-old Le Mans big man was, however, able to show some natural touch around the rim, a projectable stroke, and the ability to attack a closeout on occasion, which is impressive for his size even if he wasn’t always able to convert."

Honors and Awards:

As per Wikipedia:

LNB Pro A Rising Star (2015)
Cornelie played for France at the 2012 U17 World Championships in Lithuania
Played in the 2013 U18 European Championships in Latvia
Played at the 2015 U20 European Championships in Italy.^[6]

The Fit:

More from Space City Scoop

In review of the mock draft boards Petr Cornelie ranks all over the place signifying no one is really in agreement of his current abilities or ceiling.

Cornelie was especially impressive in some of his workouts, however he still needs to develop. He offers the perfect grab and stash prospect for a team who has the time to afford for that development.

That, doesn’t feel like something Daryl Morey is going to be willing to do, then again trader Daryl is known to surprise with his decisions, so he could take a flyer on Cornelie and stash him away or use him later in a trade.

Next: Draft Prospect Guerschon Yabusele

Next: Draft Prospect Chinanu Onuaku

Next: Draft Prospect Demetrius Jackson

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