Idk, Okafor would really strongly change the dynamics of how this team operates. It's not like you could just plug him into Sully's current role, because while Okafor is a better low-post scorer than Sully by far, a big part of Sully's role is grabbing boards and making passes that create scoring chances for others. If Sully didn't have as high a BBIQ as he does, I think he would be playing a less significant role on this team, and Okafor is lacking that BBIQ at this stage.
My big quarrel with Okafor isn't just his really poor defense (He'll never even be able to switch onto 4's, a huge component of CBS' defensive schemes), but that his offensive contribution is so heavily based on isolation post-ups. He's not a runner, so he won't contribute much to scoring on the break (the way Zeller or KO does, for example). He's not a particularly great passer like Monroe is, so you can't really run offense through him in the high post, and you can't expect him to find the open shooter whenever he is double teamed. He lacks a consistent jump shot from 15-20 feet , so unless he's got the ball in the post 1 on 1, he's probably hurting your offense. He's not even an above-average rebounder so it's not like he can just feast on tip-ins/put backs either.
He's just the kind of guy you really need to center your offense around in order to get a positive contribution from, and considering the major strength of our current offense is passing/creating open shots (even if we don't always hit them) it's hard for me to see Okafor just being plugged into our current roster and it being some huge positive. I'm not sure that team wins 5 more games than this one.
Well your right about the Defensive switching ability, but wrong on his passing. He's q very good passer, his BBIQ is excellent in my eyes.
I don't blame him for not passing, who us he going to pass it to? Stuaskas? Noel?
The team is garbage and he's the best scorer they have by far, he's decided to get his numbers so he can get a boatload of money when it's time.
He's very capable of playing whatever role Steven's gives to him.
Well, I wouldn't say he's a poor passer (like Whiteside), but he's not particularly great either. I mean, Philly sucks, but Covington, Smith, Canaan, etc. are all decent outside shooters and Okafor, who sees a lot of double-teams, often takes on two defenders trying to score instead of making the smart pass to the open man. You say it's cause he's on a crappy Philly team and he's just trying to pad stats, but I'm not so sure he can make that pass consistently yet. He's a good enough passer to develop that skill, for sure, and his overall BBIQ isn't dreadfully low, but for a guy who's the center of his offense when he's out there, I'd like to see him make better decisions, because even if he came here his skill set demands being a top option on O
Still, the point remains. He's not a Gasol/Monroe level passer, not even a Sully level passer, and even if he learns to make the simple pass when doubled I don't think he'll ever be the kind of guy you can run an offense through in the high post, so that means your offense is going to be very isolation heavy, lacking in ball movement, which really takes away from the skills of all the other guys we have on the roster. He's not a P&R monster like Drummond or Jordan either, so we'll be taking the ball out of IT/Smart's hands more than we should. I'm not against an old school post-up big man, but I don't want one that isn't a top-notch passer, can't shoot consistently from the mid-range, is slow getting down-court on the break (on a team that gets a TON of fast breaks), isn't at least an above average rebounder and can't do much of anything defensively.
To me, his poor defensive abilities is what makes me not want him. He'll never even be able to switch onto 4's for short periods without getting burned, and this very good Stevens defense does a whole lot of switching. On top of that he's a poor P&R defender, below average rim protector, is really lacking defensive instincts, and he lacks a good understanding of team defensive schemes. When you add that to his already limited offensive game, I just don't see the kind of future star other people see. I wouldn't trade the Brooklyn pick and Bradley for him, especially if I didn't know where that pick ends up. I mean, would you trade that package for a 21 year old Al Jefferson? I wouldn't.
I'm sure CBS could find a role for him and use him in a positive way because he's a fantastic coach, but to do so would mean changing the whole dynamic of this team on both ends of the floor. Just wouldn't wanna do that for a guy like Okafor.
Topic: How many games does this team win (Read 3275 times)