The Case for Okafor
Posted: Wed May 20, 2015 9:55 pm
Let me start by saying I personally think Towns is the better prospect. I wasn't convinced at the beginning of the college season, but as he got better and better, he eventually overtook Okafor in my mind (along with a lot of other people's minds too. And yes Cam, I know you were on the KAT Train early and often. Congrats).
In debate club, one often has to play both sides of an argument. Here I shall lay out the case for Jahil Okafor (otherwise known as "Flip's Talking Points for Rationalizing his Pick with the High-Minded Super Fans from Various and Sundry Wolves Boards and Blogs Who Will Violently Disagree with Him"):
1. He is a world class talent in one thing: Low post scoring. He shot 66.4% from the field on a high volume of shots (that's key). That. Is. Ridiculous. Even for college big men. Almost unheard of in the past 25 years.
2. He will be an 18 & 8 guy Day 1 if you play him around 30 MPG. As his fitness level increases over time, he will likely eventually be a 22 & 10 guy by his second or third year, with a TS% in the 56 - 60% range. That's basically all-star production, year in and year out.
3. He's strong as an ox. Think about how our guys last year got pushed around like a bunch of pansies in a flower box. Dieng, Payne, Hamilton, Young. We were bullied and taken advantage of all year in the paint. Okafor is 270 lbs. with a ridiculously strong base. He's the opposite of Dieng, who is top heavy and topples over like a drunken giraffe on ice skates (or am I thinking of Payne? Can't remember....). While he may not be the most natural rebounder or defender, the fact is he's big. He's strong. And he's going to occupy some bodies down there, thereby enabling his team mates to corral rebounds.
4. He's long. Believe it or not, Okafor has a longer wingspan than Towns. I actually think Okafor would have been a very good defender by now if he wasn't such a dominant offensive force. But I'm fairly convinced that his strategy (which was probably encouraged from his coaches) was to basically stay out of foul trouble. That leads to fairly passive behavior on defense. But when you combine his length and strength, he doesn't have to be an elite shotblocker. He can stay on the ground, wall up, and simply make it difficult for guys in and around the basket. Pekovic actually does a pretty good job of this, but imagine Pek + another 4 or 5 inches of wingspan. That's Okafor.
5. The "Modern NBA Center" actually features traditional big men in the sense that they have Center size and strength, but not much of an offensive game. As a result, when these guys play each other, they can park their ass in and around the paint and not worry much about their matchup. DeAndre Jordan is not going to post anyone up. Neither is Bogut (except on rare occasions). Or Drummond. Even Gasol doesn't spend much time in the low post. These guys practically play a zone defense and excel at protecting the paint from practically everyone else on the court. Well, with Okafor, no more of that zone B.S. You're actually have to man-up and guard someone all freakin' night in the post. Imagine a guy with Pek's strength and Hakeem's footwork coming at you. Scared now, aren't you?
(by the way, I made a different argument on this front for Towns in another post, but we're not here to talk about that wimp right now).
6. Defense can be taught. Okafor's low-post game can't. Okafor has the strength and length to be a tough paint defender. He just needs to learn the technique and mentality. Have no fear - KG's Magic Mentoring Potion© is here! It cures all defensive ills from anyone that comes in contact with it!*
7. Pick and Roll game - While Duke didn't run much pick and roll action with Okafor in college, you damn well better believe that he has the potential to be a PnR monster. His size and girth gives him the ability to set good picks. And his incredible hands and feathery touch on the interior gives him the ability to be a great target as the roll man. It may take a year or two, but Rubio is going to looooove playing PnR with JO.
And there you have it folks! Now you don't have to feel so bad when Flip makes the wrong pick!
* Potential side effects include mild heartburn, gas, profane outbursts in games, punching of team mates, and picking fights with players half your size.
In debate club, one often has to play both sides of an argument. Here I shall lay out the case for Jahil Okafor (otherwise known as "Flip's Talking Points for Rationalizing his Pick with the High-Minded Super Fans from Various and Sundry Wolves Boards and Blogs Who Will Violently Disagree with Him"):
1. He is a world class talent in one thing: Low post scoring. He shot 66.4% from the field on a high volume of shots (that's key). That. Is. Ridiculous. Even for college big men. Almost unheard of in the past 25 years.
2. He will be an 18 & 8 guy Day 1 if you play him around 30 MPG. As his fitness level increases over time, he will likely eventually be a 22 & 10 guy by his second or third year, with a TS% in the 56 - 60% range. That's basically all-star production, year in and year out.
3. He's strong as an ox. Think about how our guys last year got pushed around like a bunch of pansies in a flower box. Dieng, Payne, Hamilton, Young. We were bullied and taken advantage of all year in the paint. Okafor is 270 lbs. with a ridiculously strong base. He's the opposite of Dieng, who is top heavy and topples over like a drunken giraffe on ice skates (or am I thinking of Payne? Can't remember....). While he may not be the most natural rebounder or defender, the fact is he's big. He's strong. And he's going to occupy some bodies down there, thereby enabling his team mates to corral rebounds.
4. He's long. Believe it or not, Okafor has a longer wingspan than Towns. I actually think Okafor would have been a very good defender by now if he wasn't such a dominant offensive force. But I'm fairly convinced that his strategy (which was probably encouraged from his coaches) was to basically stay out of foul trouble. That leads to fairly passive behavior on defense. But when you combine his length and strength, he doesn't have to be an elite shotblocker. He can stay on the ground, wall up, and simply make it difficult for guys in and around the basket. Pekovic actually does a pretty good job of this, but imagine Pek + another 4 or 5 inches of wingspan. That's Okafor.
5. The "Modern NBA Center" actually features traditional big men in the sense that they have Center size and strength, but not much of an offensive game. As a result, when these guys play each other, they can park their ass in and around the paint and not worry much about their matchup. DeAndre Jordan is not going to post anyone up. Neither is Bogut (except on rare occasions). Or Drummond. Even Gasol doesn't spend much time in the low post. These guys practically play a zone defense and excel at protecting the paint from practically everyone else on the court. Well, with Okafor, no more of that zone B.S. You're actually have to man-up and guard someone all freakin' night in the post. Imagine a guy with Pek's strength and Hakeem's footwork coming at you. Scared now, aren't you?
(by the way, I made a different argument on this front for Towns in another post, but we're not here to talk about that wimp right now).
6. Defense can be taught. Okafor's low-post game can't. Okafor has the strength and length to be a tough paint defender. He just needs to learn the technique and mentality. Have no fear - KG's Magic Mentoring Potion© is here! It cures all defensive ills from anyone that comes in contact with it!*
7. Pick and Roll game - While Duke didn't run much pick and roll action with Okafor in college, you damn well better believe that he has the potential to be a PnR monster. His size and girth gives him the ability to set good picks. And his incredible hands and feathery touch on the interior gives him the ability to be a great target as the roll man. It may take a year or two, but Rubio is going to looooove playing PnR with JO.
And there you have it folks! Now you don't have to feel so bad when Flip makes the wrong pick!
* Potential side effects include mild heartburn, gas, profane outbursts in games, punching of team mates, and picking fights with players half your size.