Maybe right now, but doubtful in three years time when Okafor is 23. People are really sleeping on poor Okafor, but playing in Philly will do that to you.
I'm going to bump this thread when Okafor is destroying the leauge. Hopefully it will be in Boston.
Can you Imagine this team with a 20ppg 10 RPG 2bpg beast down low kicking it out To Kelly, Thomas, Crowder for three. The offense would be spectacular.
What are you basing this on though?
Right now Okafor is averaging 20 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks
Per 36. Only 7.3 Rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.
Rebounding is one of the few stats that is supposed to translate pretty much immediately to the NBA (just look at Sully and Love in their rookie years) and yet Okafor right now is showing no evidence of being any more than average (possibly even a bit below average) rebounder.
He also is showing no evidence at all of being an even remotely competent rim protector, so not sure why you have this impression that he is one. He's an atrocious defensive player.
His offensive efficiency (1.16 Points Per FGA) is very poor due to his general woeful inability to get to the line (4.3 FTA Per 36 minutes, 24% FTR) and his complete lack of an outside shot (25% on long two's and 0-3 from three).
His playmaking ability has been horrendous (0.5 Assists Per Turnover).
His Offensive RPM and Defensive RPM are both at the absolute bottom among NBA centers, and his net rating (-10) isn't any better.
He has one very obvious talent and that his ability to finish in the paint (65.8% inside three feet, 40% of his offense), and that talent is undeniable. But he brings that in an era where monstrous, low-post bigs are no longer the flavor of the day...which is going to make it hard for him to find a major role on a competitive playoff team. He just has too many limitations that you need to cover for, and he's essentially a major liability on both ends of the court.
For Okafor to really establish himself as a great player in this league, he will need to (at a bare minimum):
1) Improve his conditioning to the point where he can become mobile enough to not be a major defensive liability
2) Improve his rebounding to at least around 9.5 - 10.5 Reb Per 36
3) Either get better at drawing fouls, or find a way to develop a three point shot (they are the only ways to significantly improve offensive efficiency in this league)
He's really got a long way to go.
Even Al Jefferson was in a better place than Okafor at this point in his career, since Jefferson was a very good rebounder and got to the line at a high rate even as a 20 year old rookie...so Okafor, sadly, has got a LOT of catching up to do.
Right now, I would even take Julius Randle over Okafor. I'm not particularly fond of Randle. But he has proven he can rebound and score at the NBA level, and he has some unique skills (athleticism, ball handling, passing) to allow him to differentiate himself from other bigs.
Okafor on the other hand comes across to me as a very obvious example of a guy putting up good numbers on a bad team.
Nerlens Noel is only a year older than Okafor, and I think he is a far more accomplished overall player. He's already a very good defensive player, an above average rebounder, and a pretty efficient (if not overwhelmingly talented) offensive player. He's also got superior physical traits (similar height and length, but far superior athleticism) and a seemingly much better attitude and work ethic.
I think you'd have to be downright crazy to choose Okafor over Noel at this point, and I'd probably even gamble the Nets pick on Embiid before I'd dream of using it on Okafor.
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Topic: Yes or No Bradley + Nets pick for Okafor (Read 13981 times)