The Case for Okafor

[bleedspeed]

Cam, You won me over on Towns over Okafor. I am still worried Russell will be the best of the 3. (I think you are a little hard on Porzingis though.)

[khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]]

Moving on...

Okafor averaged 34.9 points per 100 possession on 22.3 FGA (1.565 points/FGA).
Towns averaged 30.6 points per 100 possessions on 19.5 FGA (1.569 points/FGA).

So, while Okafor is rightfully expected to be the better scorer between the two, I don't believe the gap is wide enough at all to say that Jahlil's offense compensates for Karl's defense.

Karl's the better all-around player with the higher ceiling. It's also an added bonus that he's the better fit for this team.

Draft Karl and let's get back to winning.

Wohoo more projections. Per 40 minutes, per 100 possessions. Towns is all projections and not real performance. He scored more than 15 points 8 times in 39 games this year. Okafor's per game average is better than that. Advanced stats are great but not when they are the only thing that can make the case for a guy. I don't see how anyone can watch them both play and think Towns is right on Okafor's heels offensively. Wiggins' actual stats were on Parker's heels, not just his projected stats. Who's the last NBA offensive juggernaut who only broke 15 points 8 times in their college careers? Okafor projects to be an offensive juggernaut. I don't see any world Towns is that guy.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Anthony Davis scored 15+ in just 19 out of 40 games at Kentucky. That was while averaging 12 more MPG than Karl-Anthony Towns. Perhaps it's possible that Calipari handcuffs bigs' with perimeter games and puts them in a post-up only role, as he's done with Davis, Randle and Towns.

Edit: I'm not judging these players solely based on numbers, but whenever I've told you what my eyes see, you proceed to challenge them with what you see, and that's fine. I'm just not going to write a book about why I disagree with you when I've presented my case and backed them up with several stats that I hold to be fair.

[Porckchop]

Towns was never leaned upon to be the number one option on his team so in turn he was more likely to rebound a miss here or there . Okafor on the other hand was taking a lot of the shots that take away from his ability to rebound those potential misses.. U really can make a good case for either player. I just prefer the guy that shows an innate ability to score the rock over someone that avg 10 pts a game last year. All sports are predicated on earning more points than the other team . I'll take the guy that can score and hope he figures it out on the other end rather than vice versa.

[mrhockey89]

Sure wish I had a crystal ball to know whether Pek's surgery will allow him to play again. If Pek is your man in the middle, Towns seems like the perfect compliment to him.

I was thinking that too Tim. Although Pek can't be relied upon to stay healthy, Towns versatility could be big in allowing us to play big man rotations.

[mrhockey89]

Just an added bonus of taking Towns over Okafor would be that we'd really mess up the draft for some other teams...i.e. the Lakers

[A Friendly Flatulence [enjin:8907904]]

Do we need a number 1 scoring option or do we already have a number one option in Wiggins?

[Lipoli390]

Remember the phrase, "it's the economy stupid"? Well, in this context it's the blocked shots..." 2.3 in 20 minutes for Towns compared to 1.4 by Okafor in 30 minutes. And that differential is indicative of their respective attitudes on the defensive end. Okafor likes to score on his opponents. Towns likes to crush their hearts.

They say you can't teach Okafor's low post game and I agree. But Towns can develop, and already has developed, a solid post game to go with his other skills, including his nice shooting touch from outside the paint. Similarly, you can't teach shot-blocking or the sort of attitude that makes a really good defender. And while a player can develop a skill set like low post scoring, players don't fundamentally change their nature when they come to the NBA. They are who they are and if they don't come to the NBA with a defensive "I'm going to stuff that ball back in your face" attitude, they'll never have it.

The case for KAT is compelling in my view. Defensive mindset, offensive versatility, shooting range, free throw shooting and athleticism - these are the ingredients of a potential all-star big man in the modern NBA. These are the things that Towns brings to the table in far greater measure than Okafor.

[Monster]

Remember the phrase, "it's the economy stupid"? Well, in this context it's the blocked shots..." 2.3 in 20 minutes for Towns compared to 1.4 by Okafor in 30 minutes. And that differential is indicative of their respective attitudes on the defensive end. Okafor likes to score on his opponents. Towns likes to crush their hearts.

They say you can't teach Okafor's low post game and I agree. But Towns can develop, and already has developed, a solid post game to go with his other skills, including his nice shooting touch from outside the paint. Similarly, you can't teach shot-blocking or the sort of attitude that makes a really good defender. But while a player can develop a skill set like low post scoring, players don't fundamentally change their nature when they come to the NBA. They are who they are and if they don't come to the NBA with a defensive "I'm going to stuff that ball back in your face" attitude, they'll never have it.

The case for KAT is compelling in my view. Defense mindset, offensive versatility, shooting range, free throw shooting and athleticism - these are the ingredients of a potential all-star big man in the modern NBA. These are the things that Towns brings to the table in far greater measure than Okafor.

Good breakdown Lip. Do you have any sense of what way Flip or the Wolves are leaning or can you not say? :)

[Monster]

https://twitter.com/jahlilokafor/status/601457871658749954

Okafor on going #1

Alternate Title for the video: Big Man Sits in a Little Chair.

Lol