Woj: Sixers plan on moving one of Noel or Okafor "eventually"

[LooseCannon]

Lebron loves the iso, but b/c he has teammates that can score, is able to pass to them and register the assists needed to log triple doubles. I'm not saying that Melo and Harden are passers like Lebron. I'm saying that LBJ has players to pass to, and Melo/Harden are limited by their teams. Carmelo was one of the leaders of Team USA in the past Olympics.

Let's not use hyperbole such as "they are trash" to make the point that you don't like them. It's ok to not like Jahlil Okafor either. To purport that Okafor also is "trash" makes conversations based on logic challenging.

Also, a side note: people like Trump call other people trash. Don't be that guy.

I'm that guy.

[BDeCosta26]

Too early to write Okafor off, I mean the guy missed months of basketball and is a 2nd year big men.  Big guys always take awhile to develop, especially when coming back from injury and on a terrible team.  He still shows those flashes, like he did tonight against the Cavs.  7 of 11 for 14 points and 9 rebounds in 23 minutes.

I don't think it is too early to project that his defense will never be good as prime Al Jefferson.  How good does his offense have to be to justify a future max contract if his defense is that bad?

still have to laugh at the bizarre curve okafor is graded on.  All our young players continue to get a pass despite significant flaws at age 22/23.   And yet okafor still hasn't turned 21 years old and this is probably as good as he will ever be.  Yeah... ok....

I watched al Jefferson when he was 22.  He wasn't a good defender.  He wasn't a very good defender in his prime either.  Okafor is comparable.  Okafor can get much better though.

Bottom line is that Marcus smart is in the midst of his 3rd season proving he will never been a mediocre shooter in this league and yet myself and many other Celtic fans still think there's a chance he will figure it out.  Meanwhile okafor is like 60 games into NBA career and can't even legally drink and yet people think the kid is incapable of ever finding a role on defense.

There's a big difference though. Smart is very good at many different things (Defense, court vision, rebounding, versatility, leadership) and struggles with one thing (Scoring) of which his shooting contributes to. It's fairly reasonable to believe that if he improved his shooting (something fairly common in the NBA) it would improve his scoring and you'd be looking at a pretty dang good player with all the other things he does well.

With By contrast, Okafor is very good at one thing (Low Post offense) and struggles with many others (Defense, rebounding, passing, shooting, switching, leadership). His one skill is very, very good and it's reasonable to believe that he could improve in one of those deficiencies, but even if he does (Say, rebounding) your still left with a 7 footer who needs the ball constantly to be effective on offense, is a poor defender who can't switch to save his life or protect the rim well, doesn't pass well out of double teams and is a p--- poor teammate.

See, that's the difference. People believe Smart can improve on his one big weakness and you'll have a great player. With Okafor, you have to hope he can improve on a bunch of his big weaknesses (Including things like switching, which you don't just improve at with time) just to have a net positive player. He has potential, but the odds of stardom are pretty dang low.

Odds of stardom? James Harden, Carmelo Anthony, etc. are stars and not known for their defense. Your criticisms of him mostly exist on the defensive side of the ball. He's 20- there's time for him to improve.

Poor teammate? Where are you getting that? Coach K loves the dude. He plays on a bad team. Bad teams often have chemistry issues.

Not really. I'm plenty critical of his offensive game. I complain about his inability to consistently draw double teams and pass out for open shots, which he needs to do considering his low post style. His offensive rebounding which is not very good for a guy who is glued to the blocks, his ineffective mid-range game, his lack of moving the ball and the need to design your offense around utilizing his low post skills because otherwise he's a black hole out there and the effect that has on your other offensive players.

Some of those things can be improved though, (though improving them all is unlikely, at best) so I'm a little higher on his offensive capabilities than he's defensive ones. And I certainly don't think Carmelo and Harden are trash, though they're not exactly the kind of guys I like the most.

But those guys aren't really comparable to Okafor. As I said before, Okafor's problem is that he has one elite level skill, and is poor in almost all the other areas. Carmelo and Harden aren't good defenders, sure. But they both do a whole lot more than just score buckets. Harden is one of the best passers in the NBA right now, he's a very good 3 point shooter who can get to the rim at will and draws a ton of contact. He's versatile enough to play 1-3 and has the ability to make his teammates better (though he doesn't always do it). Carmelo's the same way. He can play on/off the ball, he can play the 3 or the 4 at a very high level, he's a plus rebounder on both sides of the ball, he can shoot the mid range, the 3 and can drive in isolation. He can post up, pass out of double teams and isn't a terrible defender when it matters.

Okafor is a very good low post scorer, and does little else well on both offense and defense. It's not like he's some kind of offensive Dynamo that is so good you just put up with his bad defense. All his supporters may not like to hear it, but he's never reaching a Carmelo or James Harden level of play, he just doesn't have the ability to do so.

I'm not saying the kid doesn't have potential, he does. One day he might be as good as Greg Monroe or Al Jefferson. But to me, that's not good enough to justify playing him over Amir, Horford, Crowder or Kelly when you consider all the negatives he brings onto the court, and it certainly doesn't justify trading anything of actual value for him like the Brooklyn picks, Jaylen Brown or Marcus Smart. And he may have been a fine teammate when he was winning chips at Duke, but he's been a pretty poor teammate in Philly. That probably has something to do with how bad they've been, but if Cousins is a poor teammate, so is Okafor no matter what the reason is.

I get that the post game is elite and the ability to put up raw counting stats is attractive but once you dig into it, he's just not that good. I don't think it's being unfair, it's just being honest about his large amount of weaknesses and how much he would really have to improve on them to become the kind of player so many people think he can be.

[Moranis]

BD, Okafor is a lot more active defensively this year.  He is blocking shots a decent clip (he is just behind Zeller and only Horford has an appreciably higher BLK%) and even generating steals.  His 8.5 AST% is actually respectable for a 2nd year big man, especially when you consider his teammates.  His 33% from 10-16 feet is respectable enough (and is actually lower than his rookie year, so I would expect that to improve as he gets healthy).  That BTW is better percentage from that range than KO, Horford, Amir, Jerekbo, and Zeller (and all but KO he has more than doubled up the percentage). 

No question he has been an awful rebounder at just 9.9% but for some perspective, Johnson is 10.5% and Jerekbo and Olynyk are 9.7 and 9.5% respectively.  Even Horford is only 11.5%.  Only Zeller and Johnson have a higher ORB% than Okafor this year.  Mind you, Okafor is well below his rookie numbers in those stats, which isn't surprising given he is coming back from a leg injury (you kind of need your legs to rebound).

I'm also not sure where this notion arose that he is a bad teammate.  I mean has he made any public complaints about coming off the bench.  I haven't seen any.  In fact, he seems to be embracing that role and by the accounts I've seen he actually gets along fairly well with Embiid and his other teammates.  Even last year, the off court issues with him, were about his partying, speeding tickets, etc., they weren't teammate related.  Perhaps everyone has him confused with Nerlens Noel.  Now that guys appears to be a bad teammate always complaining about everything, not showing up for games, and maybe even faking an injury so he doesn't have to play. 

[green_bballers13]

BD, Okafor is a lot more active defensively this year.  He is blocking shots a decent clip (he is just behind Zeller and only Horford has an appreciably higher BLK%) and even generating steals.  His 8.5 AST% is actually respectable for a 2nd year big man, especially when you consider his teammates.  His 33% from 10-16 feet is respectable enough (and is actually lower than his rookie year, so I would expect that to improve as he gets healthy).  That BTW is better percentage from that range than KO, Horford, Amir, Jerekbo, and Zeller (and all but KO he has more than doubled up the percentage). 

No question he has been an awful rebounder at just 9.9% but for some perspective, Johnson is 10.5% and Jerekbo and Olynyk are 9.7 and 9.5% respectively.  Even Horford is only 11.5%.  Only Zeller and Johnson have a higher ORB% than Okafor this year.  Mind you, Okafor is well below his rookie numbers in those stats, which isn't surprising given he is coming back from a leg injury (you kind of need your legs to rebound).

I'm also not sure where this notion arose that he is a bad teammate.  I mean has he made any public complaints about coming off the bench.  I haven't seen any.  In fact, he seems to be embracing that role and by the accounts I've seen he actually gets along fairly well with Embiid and his other teammates.  Even last year, the off court issues with him, were about his partying, speeding tickets, etc., they weren't teammate related.  Perhaps everyone has him confused with Nerlens Noel.  Now that guys appears to be a bad teammate always complaining about everything, not showing up for games, and maybe even faking an injury so he doesn't have to play.

I think he made the bad teammate part up. I'm not sure why he would do that, besides being biased enough that he doesn't want the guy and maybe thinking Danny Ainge reads this?

"That probably has something to do with how bad they've been, but if Cousins is a poor teammate, so is Okafor no matter what the reason is."

Ummmmm what?

[Eddie20]

No question he has been an awful rebounder at just 9.9% but for some perspective, Johnson is 10.5% and Jerekbo and Olynyk are 9.7 and 9.5% respectively.  Even Horford is only 11.5%.  Only Zeller and Johnson have a higher ORB% than Okafor this year.  Mind you, Okafor is well below his rookie numbers in those stats, which isn't surprising given he is coming back from a leg injury (you kind of need your legs to rebound).

He was an awful rebounder last year too. So this whole notion of him dealing with a leg injury is just an excuse. This fascination with Okafor is mind-blowing. Looking at the landscape of the league and you'll see similar type players (Monroe and Kanter) are relegated to bench roles. However, those two can actually rebound.

[BDeCosta26]

BD, Okafor is a lot more active defensively this year.  He is blocking shots a decent clip (he is just behind Zeller and only Horford has an appreciably higher BLK%) and even generating steals.  His 8.5 AST% is actually respectable for a 2nd year big man, especially when you consider his teammates.  His 33% from 10-16 feet is respectable enough (and is actually lower than his rookie year, so I would expect that to improve as he gets healthy).  That BTW is better percentage from that range than KO, Horford, Amir, Jerekbo, and Zeller (and all but KO he has more than doubled up the percentage). 

No question he has been an awful rebounder at just 9.9% but for some perspective, Johnson is 10.5% and Jerekbo and Olynyk are 9.7 and 9.5% respectively.  Even Horford is only 11.5%.  Only Zeller and Johnson have a higher ORB% than Okafor this year.  Mind you, Okafor is well below his rookie numbers in those stats, which isn't surprising given he is coming back from a leg injury (you kind of need your legs to rebound).

I'm also not sure where this notion arose that he is a bad teammate.  I mean has he made any public complaints about coming off the bench.  I haven't seen any.  In fact, he seems to be embracing that role and by the accounts I've seen he actually gets along fairly well with Embiid and his other teammates.  Even last year, the off court issues with him, were about his partying, speeding tickets, etc., they weren't teammate related.  Perhaps everyone has him confused with Nerlens Noel.  Now that guys appears to be a bad teammate always complaining about everything, not showing up for games, and maybe even faking an injury so he doesn't have to play.

I think he made the bad teammate part up. I'm not sure why he would do that, besides being biased enough that he doesn't want the guy and maybe thinking Danny Ainge reads this?

"That probably has something to do with how bad they've been, but if Cousins is a poor teammate, so is Okafor no matter what the reason is."

Ummmmm what?

I'd love to have Cousins for the right price because, like Okafor, is on a very bad team. But he's also 10x the player Okafor is, so that matters. The off-court stuff one thing (it still matters) but he clearly sulks on the court, he gives next to no effort on the defensive end sometimes, lacks effort going for rebounds, takes on double teams instead of passing to the open man. Those kinds of things. He's not a cancer or anything, and I think those issues would be resolved on a better team, but their still issues.

At the end of the day it's always the same thing with Okafor. In order to get the most out of him, you have to tailor your offense around him or else he becomes a detriment and when you add in the poor defensive skills, the rebounding, lack of versatility, etc. He's just not good enough to justify doing that. It's gonna take big improvements in a lot of areas to ever be more than a bench scoring, post up big man on a good team.

[LooseCannon]

People do understand that Stevens knows post scoring is generally inefficient, right?  As long as he is coach, the Celtics aren't going to pound the ball inside looking for a big man to score in the post.  Maybe if Okafor was a key defender, he'd live with using more post offense if that is all Okafor can do, but Stevens is a defense-first guy who likes to put his best defense on the floor and use his intellectual talents to figure out the best offense using those players. 

If you have visions of trading for Okafor and making him a central part of the Celtics offense, you need to fire Stevens first.  Otherwise, Okafor is likely to be coming off the bench.  I'd be willing to do a deal that gives up assets that are reasonable for someone you project in that role.  I think it would be a mistake to give up the sort of value that is a fair exchange for someone who you expect to be a long-term starter.

[blink]

People do understand that Stevens knows post scoring is generally inefficient, right?  As long as he is coach, the Celtics aren't going to pound the ball inside looking for a big man to score in the post.  Maybe if Okafor was a key defender, he'd live with using more post offense if that is all Okafor can do, but Stevens is a defense-first guy who likes to put his best defense on the floor and use his intellectual talents to figure out the best offense using those players. 

If you have visions of trading for Okafor and making him a central part of the Celtics offense, you need to fire Stevens first.  Otherwise, Okafor is likely to be coming off the bench.  I'd be willing to do a deal that gives up assets that are reasonable for someone you project in that role.  I think it would be a mistake to give up the sort of value that is a fair exchange for someone who you expect to be a long-term starter.

interesting post, I don't really see how Okafor fits with our current team as a main point of focus.  If the sixers are giving him away, he would be a great bench scorer for us.

[Moranis]

No question he has been an awful rebounder at just 9.9% but for some perspective, Johnson is 10.5% and Jerekbo and Olynyk are 9.7 and 9.5% respectively.  Even Horford is only 11.5%.  Only Zeller and Johnson have a higher ORB% than Okafor this year.  Mind you, Okafor is well below his rookie numbers in those stats, which isn't surprising given he is coming back from a leg injury (you kind of need your legs to rebound).

He was an awful rebounder last year too. So this whole notion of him dealing with a leg injury is just an excuse. This fascination with Okafor is mind-blowing. Looking at the landscape of the league and you'll see similar type players (Monroe and Kanter) are relegated to bench roles. However, those two can actually rebound.

He was an ok rebounder, not an awful rebounder last year (better TRB% than Horford had last year or this year as an example and his 12.8% last year would be 2nd on the team to Zeller this year).  No one is claiming he will ever be like Drummond or Jordan defensively or on the glass, but this notion that he is the worst rebounder in the world is just silly nonsense.  Okafor is an ok rebounder when healthy.  Not elite, but not going to kill you on the glass either (like say Mark Blount). 

[celticsclay]

No question he has been an awful rebounder at just 9.9% but for some perspective, Johnson is 10.5% and Jerekbo and Olynyk are 9.7 and 9.5% respectively.  Even Horford is only 11.5%.  Only Zeller and Johnson have a higher ORB% than Okafor this year.  Mind you, Okafor is well below his rookie numbers in those stats, which isn't surprising given he is coming back from a leg injury (you kind of need your legs to rebound).

He was an awful rebounder last year too. So this whole notion of him dealing with a leg injury is just an excuse. This fascination with Okafor is mind-blowing. Looking at the landscape of the league and you'll see similar type players (Monroe and Kanter) are relegated to bench roles. However, those two can actually rebound.

He was an ok rebounder, not an awful rebounder last year (better TRB% than Horford had last year or this year as an example and his 12.8% last year would be 2nd on the team to Zeller this year).  No one is claiming he will ever be like Drummond or Jordan defensively or on the glass, but this notion that he is the worst rebounder in the world is just silly nonsense.  Okafor is an ok rebounder when healthy.  Not elite, but not going to kill you on the glass either (like say Mark Blount).

I am a bit confused about this totally healthy thing with Okafor thing I keep hearing. He had a small surgery in March. The expected recovery time of the surgery for this was 6 weeks:

Philadelphia 76ers rookie center Jahlil Okafor will miss the rest of the 2015-16 regular season with a small meniscus tear in his right knee, the team announced Friday. Okafor will resume basketball activities in six weeks, but because the season is almost over, he will not return to the court within that time frame.

Okafor has not played since Feb. 28 against the Orlando Magic, though he was initially listed out because of a shin injury. He had only missed six previous games this season, two of which were due to an early-season suspension for multiple altercations outside a Boston bar.
http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2016/3/11/11208614/jahlil-okafor-injury-76ers-knee

So we are now literally 9 months after an injury that was supposed to take 6 weeks to return from basketball injuries. Does anyone else think it is weird he is still not healthy? Did he have a serious setback or reinjury I met? Is there something else wrong with this guy?

I am a bit confused.

[Moranis]

No question he has been an awful rebounder at just 9.9% but for some perspective, Johnson is 10.5% and Jerekbo and Olynyk are 9.7 and 9.5% respectively.  Even Horford is only 11.5%.  Only Zeller and Johnson have a higher ORB% than Okafor this year.  Mind you, Okafor is well below his rookie numbers in those stats, which isn't surprising given he is coming back from a leg injury (you kind of need your legs to rebound).

He was an awful rebounder last year too. So this whole notion of him dealing with a leg injury is just an excuse. This fascination with Okafor is mind-blowing. Looking at the landscape of the league and you'll see similar type players (Monroe and Kanter) are relegated to bench roles. However, those two can actually rebound.

He was an ok rebounder, not an awful rebounder last year (better TRB% than Horford had last year or this year as an example and his 12.8% last year would be 2nd on the team to Zeller this year).  No one is claiming he will ever be like Drummond or Jordan defensively or on the glass, but this notion that he is the worst rebounder in the world is just silly nonsense.  Okafor is an ok rebounder when healthy.  Not elite, but not going to kill you on the glass either (like say Mark Blount).

I am a bit confused about this totally healthy thing with Okafor thing I keep hearing. He had a small surgery in March. The expected recovery time of the surgery for this was 6 weeks:

Philadelphia 76ers rookie center Jahlil Okafor will miss the rest of the 2015-16 regular season with a small meniscus tear in his right knee, the team announced Friday. Okafor will resume basketball activities in six weeks, but because the season is almost over, he will not return to the court within that time frame.

Okafor has not played since Feb. 28 against the Orlando Magic, though he was initially listed out because of a shin injury. He had only missed six previous games this season, two of which were due to an early-season suspension for multiple altercations outside a Boston bar.
http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2016/3/11/11208614/jahlil-okafor-injury-76ers-knee

So we are now literally 9 months after an injury that was supposed to take 6 weeks to return from basketball injuries. Does anyone else think it is weird he is still not healthy? Did he have a serious setback or reinjury I met? Is there something else wrong with this guy?

I am a bit confused.

He had soreness in his knee on September 30th.  As a result, the Sixers kept him out of all but their final preseason game in which he was limited to an 8 minute limit (he played 7).  He has been on a minutes restriction basically all season.  Healthy people don't have minutes restrictions and don't miss basically the entire preseason.

[celticsclay]

No question he has been an awful rebounder at just 9.9% but for some perspective, Johnson is 10.5% and Jerekbo and Olynyk are 9.7 and 9.5% respectively.  Even Horford is only 11.5%.  Only Zeller and Johnson have a higher ORB% than Okafor this year.  Mind you, Okafor is well below his rookie numbers in those stats, which isn't surprising given he is coming back from a leg injury (you kind of need your legs to rebound).

He was an awful rebounder last year too. So this whole notion of him dealing with a leg injury is just an excuse. This fascination with Okafor is mind-blowing. Looking at the landscape of the league and you'll see similar type players (Monroe and Kanter) are relegated to bench roles. However, those two can actually rebound.

He was an ok rebounder, not an awful rebounder last year (better TRB% than Horford had last year or this year as an example and his 12.8% last year would be 2nd on the team to Zeller this year).  No one is claiming he will ever be like Drummond or Jordan defensively or on the glass, but this notion that he is the worst rebounder in the world is just silly nonsense.  Okafor is an ok rebounder when healthy.  Not elite, but not going to kill you on the glass either (like say Mark Blount).

I am a bit confused about this totally healthy thing with Okafor thing I keep hearing. He had a small surgery in March. The expected recovery time of the surgery for this was 6 weeks:

Philadelphia 76ers rookie center Jahlil Okafor will miss the rest of the 2015-16 regular season with a small meniscus tear in his right knee, the team announced Friday. Okafor will resume basketball activities in six weeks, but because the season is almost over, he will not return to the court within that time frame.

Okafor has not played since Feb. 28 against the Orlando Magic, though he was initially listed out because of a shin injury. He had only missed six previous games this season, two of which were due to an early-season suspension for multiple altercations outside a Boston bar.
http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2016/3/11/11208614/jahlil-okafor-injury-76ers-knee

So we are now literally 9 months after an injury that was supposed to take 6 weeks to return from basketball injuries. Does anyone else think it is weird he is still not healthy? Did he have a serious setback or reinjury I met? Is there something else wrong with this guy?

I am a bit confused.

He had soreness in his knee on September 30th.  As a result, the Sixers kept him out of all but their final preseason game in which he was limited to an 8 minute limit (he played 7).  He has been on a minutes restriction basically all season.  Healthy people don't have minutes restrictions and don't miss basically the entire preseason.

yea. My question is what is going on? Soreness 6 months after a 6 week recovery time is just something that is accepted as normal? No explanation ever given?

[LarBrd33]

No question he has been an awful rebounder at just 9.9% but for some perspective, Johnson is 10.5% and Jerekbo and Olynyk are 9.7 and 9.5% respectively.  Even Horford is only 11.5%.  Only Zeller and Johnson have a higher ORB% than Okafor this year.  Mind you, Okafor is well below his rookie numbers in those stats, which isn't surprising given he is coming back from a leg injury (you kind of need your legs to rebound).

He was an awful rebounder last year too. So this whole notion of him dealing with a leg injury is just an excuse. This fascination with Okafor is mind-blowing. Looking at the landscape of the league and you'll see similar type players (Monroe and Kanter) are relegated to bench roles. However, those two can actually rebound.

He was an ok rebounder, not an awful rebounder last year (better TRB% than Horford had last year or this year as an example and his 12.8% last year would be 2nd on the team to Zeller this year).  No one is claiming he will ever be like Drummond or Jordan defensively or on the glass, but this notion that he is the worst rebounder in the world is just silly nonsense.  Okafor is an ok rebounder when healthy.  Not elite, but not going to kill you on the glass either (like say Mark Blount).

I am a bit confused about this totally healthy thing with Okafor thing I keep hearing. He had a small surgery in March. The expected recovery time of the surgery for this was 6 weeks:

Philadelphia 76ers rookie center Jahlil Okafor will miss the rest of the 2015-16 regular season with a small meniscus tear in his right knee, the team announced Friday. Okafor will resume basketball activities in six weeks, but because the season is almost over, he will not return to the court within that time frame.

Okafor has not played since Feb. 28 against the Orlando Magic, though he was initially listed out because of a shin injury. He had only missed six previous games this season, two of which were due to an early-season suspension for multiple altercations outside a Boston bar.
http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2016/3/11/11208614/jahlil-okafor-injury-76ers-knee

So we are now literally 9 months after an injury that was supposed to take 6 weeks to return from basketball injuries. Does anyone else think it is weird he is still not healthy? Did he have a serious setback or reinjury I met? Is there something else wrong with this guy?

I am a bit confused.

He had soreness in his knee on September 30th.  As a result, the Sixers kept him out of all but their final preseason game in which he was limited to an 8 minute limit (he played 7).  He has been on a minutes restriction basically all season.  Healthy people don't have minutes restrictions and don't miss basically the entire preseason.

yea. My question is what is going on? Soreness 6 months after a 6 week recovery time is just something that is accepted as normal? No explanation ever given?

Tank keeps rollin

[BDeCosta26]

No question he has been an awful rebounder at just 9.9% but for some perspective, Johnson is 10.5% and Jerekbo and Olynyk are 9.7 and 9.5% respectively.  Even Horford is only 11.5%.  Only Zeller and Johnson have a higher ORB% than Okafor this year.  Mind you, Okafor is well below his rookie numbers in those stats, which isn't surprising given he is coming back from a leg injury (you kind of need your legs to rebound).

He was an awful rebounder last year too. So this whole notion of him dealing with a leg injury is just an excuse. This fascination with Okafor is mind-blowing. Looking at the landscape of the league and you'll see similar type players (Monroe and Kanter) are relegated to bench roles. However, those two can actually rebound.

He was an ok rebounder, not an awful rebounder last year (better TRB% than Horford had last year or this year as an example and his 12.8% last year would be 2nd on the team to Zeller this year).  No one is claiming he will ever be like Drummond or Jordan defensively or on the glass, but this notion that he is the worst rebounder in the world is just silly nonsense.  Okafor is an ok rebounder when healthy.  Not elite, but not going to kill you on the glass either (like say Mark Blount).

That's kinda the point though. Because of his relative weaknesses in other areas, he really needs to excel at the things you expect a true center to do. The ability to switch on the perimeter and limited shooting range would be fine if he was a plus rebounder or a rim protector or you could run your offense through the post with him but you can't.

He really needs to be well above average in at least a few other things besides low post scoring to be a positive. Being an okay rebounder or a middling paint presence (which is being nice to his current game) isn't gonna be enough.

[LooseCannon]

No question he has been an awful rebounder at just 9.9% but for some perspective, Johnson is 10.5% and Jerekbo and Olynyk are 9.7 and 9.5% respectively.  Even Horford is only 11.5%.  Only Zeller and Johnson have a higher ORB% than Okafor this year.  Mind you, Okafor is well below his rookie numbers in those stats, which isn't surprising given he is coming back from a leg injury (you kind of need your legs to rebound).

He was an awful rebounder last year too. So this whole notion of him dealing with a leg injury is just an excuse. This fascination with Okafor is mind-blowing. Looking at the landscape of the league and you'll see similar type players (Monroe and Kanter) are relegated to bench roles. However, those two can actually rebound.

He was an ok rebounder, not an awful rebounder last year (better TRB% than Horford had last year or this year as an example and his 12.8% last year would be 2nd on the team to Zeller this year).  No one is claiming he will ever be like Drummond or Jordan defensively or on the glass, but this notion that he is the worst rebounder in the world is just silly nonsense.  Okafor is an ok rebounder when healthy.  Not elite, but not going to kill you on the glass either (like say Mark Blount).

Keep in mind that his rebounding percentages are likely to get worse rather than better if he learns to play further from the basket on offense and defense, then consider the probability that he will be called upon to do such things if he plays under Brad Stevens.

The argument that he would be a better rebounder in Boston should rely on the idea that he will have a reduced offensive role with more energy to devote to rebounding, the opposite of young players who often see their rebounding decline as they become more involved on both ends of the court.