I don't really find this that surprising. If Okafor had the rookie season he just had twenty years ago I think he would be in play for a top 2 pick in that era. However, with the advancements that have been made in advanced stats and the direction the NBA has moved in (look at the finals big men rotation) the flaws in his game are much more high profile than they once would have been.
That seems to be the narrative everyone's going with. I don't yet buy the idea that big men are dead. I just think it's a lack of quality big men. There aren't a lot of dominant low post guys worth building a system around. I think that has more to do with it than anything.
I actually think there's a chance here at some point there's going to be a conventional big man who will show up and just eat the league alive. I'm not saying that will be Okafor. But at some point some 7'2 300+ pound monster with skill is going to show up and they are going to try sticking a 6'8 230 pound "center" like Draymond Green on him. Good luck to em.
Isn't the "New NBA" that everyone envisions just a throwback to the NBA in the 1950s before the human giants showed up and started stomping on jump-shooting white guys?
It's also just kind of funny, because no team has had more consistent success over the past 20 years than the San Antonio Spurs and they are successful, in large part, because Tim Duncan is a conventional 7 foot 250 pound big man who even in his twilight was able to make a difference for that team. Granted, Duncan was an exceptional defender which isn't how anyone would describe OKafor, but i'm more commenting on the idea that conventional bigs are seen as obsolete.
Concerning Okafor vs Duncan, Jah rules
, like you said, isn't anywhere near the defender that Duncan was, but he also isn't the passer nor the rebounder, and the former really hurts your half court offense. Ideally, you'd throw it to him inside, draw a double team, and then go around the horn, but if he can't pass, you're pretty screwed. Even if the defense openly ignores the players who can't shoot, if your big guy can't get the open guy the ball, no one is going to be able to even get a shot off and everything breaks down.
Regardless, playing inside out is, and has always been, the way to go if you want to win titles, imo. The analytics crowd probably won't like this, but if you have to choose between shooting contested jumpers at the end of the game, no matter who the shooter is, or getting the ball inside to a post player who can not only score but possibly get fouled, the obvious choice is the latter, imo. It's simple math - the closer you are to the hoop, the better chance you have of making the shot.
Playing small and stretch 4s also takes away your offensive rebounding opportunities, and for a league that runs a simply nauseating amount of pick and rolls, it's unfathomable to me why teams don't get more offensive rebounds, but then again, it seems to me that the game is entirely inverted, these days
. Still, switching everything like the Warriors do leaves you quite exposed on the backboards, and as long as your power forwards and centers are at least capable defenders who can also play with their backs to the basket, you can simply destroy a team like Golden State, irrespective of who they switch onto those guys. Well, in my opinion, anyway. Woo
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Topic: Sixers Can't Get Top-Five Pick for Jahlil Okafor (Read 6114 times)