I can't help but feel that Okafor will disappoint a lot of people.
I think people saw Okafor putting up 17 and 8 last year, and they just expect that he'd come to Boston, and then come out next year (with an extra year of experience) and put up 20 and 10.
Personally, I think the opposite will more then likely happen. Okafor put up 17 and 8 last year on a Philly team that had no scoring at all. Jahlil was basically scoring option #1, #2 and #3. Then you had Ish Smith as option #4 and Covington as option #5. The ball was always Okafor's hand, and plays were being called for him constantly - and with all those touches (and his 15 or so FGA per game) he managed to put up 17 PPG.
Just for the record - Avery Bradley averaged 15 PPG in 2013/14 in 30 MPG (about the same Okafor played) when the Celtics were the 6th worst team in the NBA...and he was still sharing the offence with Jeff Green and Jared Sullinger. So Okafor's scoring production in Philly is not nearly as standout as people have hyped it up to be.
If he came to Boston, Isaiah Thomas is still out #1 scoring option. Horford is now likely #2. Okafor would be battling with Bradley and Crowder for the #3 spot on the offence. His touches would likely be cut in half compared to what he's getting in Philly, and his FGA would likely drop from 15 a game to 10-12 at most.
Even if his scoring efficiency took a significant leap (from the 1.19 Pts Per FGA last year to 1.25 Pts Per FGA) and his attempts only dropped to 12 a game - that's still only 15 PPG that you could realistically expect from him as a Celtic...and that's pretty much your best case scenario.
Perhaps his rebounding might go up given that Horford is perimeter bound and not much of a rebounder these days, so maybe as a best case he gives you 15 and 9. That's not too shabby at all and would help the team out, but you also have to factor in his major defensive issues, which would potentially negate all the good he provides us.
I'm not against getting him here because we do need more scoring, and he would become our second best scoring big immediately - I just think we need to be very, very careful not to overpay. Okafor has his talents, but he's not the star people seem to think he is. Nowhere near it - at least not yet.
Come on dude. Okafor is not as incapable or as bad as you think. Also being on Philly, which you say was a positive for him, was actually literally the worst team he could have gone to considering his: size/strenghts&weaknesses, age, and conditioning(was tested every grueling game for Philly).
Philly itself was a team without any legit shooters(until garbage time/the game had been put away) or scorers to help Okafor. At 19 he had to carry a team that did not help defensively or offensively for his strengths and weaknesses
Also the wings were horrible defenders and other teams would blow by them and get to the rim/interior....makes sense. That means the front-court had to engage all those time and with Okafor already playing more minutes and stringing more consecutive minutes, well that is just grueling for a 19 year old rookie that is almost 280lbs but has a 7'6'' wingspan and 9'3'' standing reach.
Why philly sucked and especially was the worst for Okafor:
Offensively:
-no shooter or scorers(except Okafor)
-teams PACKED IT IN defensively because there were no legit scorers or 3pt threats
-Okafor was asked to do more than almost all rookies are and with his size he should have been brought along or they should have put another scorer and gotten better defenders....but the team was made to lose and even Adam Silver had to get involved.
-Okafor was the best scorer and played too many minutes together and asked to do way to much, especially concidering he had to work more on his body.
Defensively:
-the wings sucked defensively and other wings blew by them
-the front-court had to engage more attempts to the rim/paint than other bigs had to
-Okafor was too young and because of his strengths and weaknesses was at a disadvantage
Big men that are around 280 and as solid as Okafor, naturally, are really special but they also almost always have difficulties their rookie years. I enjoy looking at things from a dif perspective. The case you make for Okafor is the same case many GM's and tv pundits have. Thats a good thing because Okafor value is real low and IMO he is the most undervalued asset in the NBA because he has realistic improvements to make on his game and he could even be there for next season.
Topic: Okafor - The Ringer (article) (Read 45949 times)