Jahlil Okafor May Be On His Way to New Orleans

[TheSundanceKid]

Eurgh, if the price is that low we need to be involved. Okafor still has upside for goodness sake. He'd be a nice piece for our 2nd unit with the potential to be much more than that

Why do we need to be involved? Just because he was drafted high? He is regressing as a player and he wasn't very good to begin with. What upside? He can't defend a chair and he is slow.

The one area where he is supposedly strong is his post up game but once you look at the stats it shows he is only average. He had the 11th most post-up possessions in the NBA last season with 315, scoring 0.85 points per possession on those plays, per NBA Stats. He was in the 54.7th percentile of post-up scoring compared to people like Brook Lopez (79.4th) LaMarcus Aldridge (84.3rd) and Nikola Vucevic (75.8th). This year he is actually below average as a post up player. So he is not even good at his ONLY NBA skill. He is not a good basketball player and the trade offers reflect that.

It has nothing to do with how high he was drafted. Yes he's lost value since day one but I don't lay that all at his feet. Developing on the 76ers is not a way to increase your value. They don't try to integrate his game into their style of play, they barely play him and they don't have players who complement him. The team wasn't built for him so I don't expect him to shine in his 2nd year.

What he does have is the physical tools to be a great player and a touch around the basket that shows bbiq. It doesn't matter where he was drafted,what matters is the price he's available for. Ajinca and a 1st? We have a plethora of assets matching that which are expendable. The only question is do you believe the risk is worth taking?

He's what 21 years old? Prior to the NBA he was a proven winner wherever he went. Even in the NBA he has the physique to bully even the best centers. In a match up with Dwight earlier this year he was backing him down right to the basket for an easy finish. He has a 7'5" wingspan and a 9'2.25" standing reach which is great.
Can he defend? Not right now. He has imo shown improved pnr defense this year but it's starting from a low point. He will probably always have slow feet as well. But we have seen how players can learn on that end with application, look at the improvements KO has made over the years, his positional defending is fantastic now. If we can get Okafor to that point then he's a surefire rotation player.

Let's say that we have up Rozier for Okafor (I'm deliberately overvaluing him). Okafor doesn't pan out, what have we lost? If we draft Fultz or Ball this summer then Rozier is gone anyway and you certainly aren't getting better than a low 1st for him, teams would see we were desperate. So why not take a gamble? Okafor is cost controlled for two more years so we have time to play with.

If you could offer Mickey, Young and the Mem pick for him and one of their min contracts I think they'd take it. Or perhaps include the Min 2nd from this year as well

[chambers]

Eurgh, if the price is that low we need to be involved. Okafor still has upside for goodness sake. He'd be a nice piece for our 2nd unit with the potential to be much more than that

Why do we need to be involved? Just because he was drafted high? He is regressing as a player and he wasn't very good to begin with. What upside? He can't defend a chair and he is slow.

The one area where he is supposedly strong is his post up game but once you look at the stats it shows he is only average. He had the 11th most post-up possessions in the NBA last season with 315, scoring 0.85 points per possession on those plays, per NBA Stats. He was in the 54.7th percentile of post-up scoring compared to people like Brook Lopez (79.4th) LaMarcus Aldridge (84.3rd) and Nikola Vucevic (75.8th). This year he is actually below average as a post up player. So he is not even good at his ONLY NBA skill. He is not a good basketball player and the trade offers reflect that.

It has nothing to do with how high he was drafted. Yes he's lost value since day one but I don't lay that all at his feet. Developing on the 76ers is not a way to increase your value. They don't try to integrate his game into their style of play, they barely play him and they don't have players who complement him. The team wasn't built for him so I don't expect him to shine in his 2nd year.

What he does have is the physical tools to be a great player and a touch around the basket that shows bbiq. It doesn't matter where he was drafted,what matters is the price he's available for. Ajinca and a 1st? We have a plethora of assets matching that which are expendable. The only question is do you believe the risk is worth taking?

He's what 21 years old? Prior to the NBA he was a proven winner wherever he went. Even in the NBA he has the physique to bully even the best centers. In a match up with Dwight earlier this year he was backing him down right to the basket for an easy finish. He has a 7'5" wingspan and a 9'2.25" standing reach which is great.
Can he defend? Not right now. He has imo shown improved pnr defense this year but it's starting from a low point. He will probably always have slow feet as well. But we have seen how players can learn on that end with application, look at the improvements KO has made over the years, his positional defending is fantastic now. If we can get Okafor to that point then he's a surefire rotation player.

Let's say that we have up Rozier for Okafor (I'm deliberately overvaluing him). Okafor doesn't pan out, what have we lost? If we draft Fultz or Ball this summer then Rozier is gone anyway and you certainly aren't getting better than a low 1st for him, teams would see we were desperate. So why not take a gamble? Okafor is cost controlled for two more years so we have time to play with.

If you could offer Mickey, Young and the Mem pick for him and one of their min contracts I think they'd take it. Or perhaps include the Min 2nd from this year as well

TP this is exactly what i think.
Only a limited number of humans are his size with his hands and footwork.
If he can be had for what NOP are asking then we need to get involved and throw some serious offers at them.

[Moranis]

Eurgh, if the price is that low we need to be involved. Okafor still has upside for goodness sake. He'd be a nice piece for our 2nd unit with the potential to be much more than that

Why do we need to be involved? Just because he was drafted high? He is regressing as a player and he wasn't very good to begin with. What upside? He can't defend a chair and he is slow.

The one area where he is supposedly strong is his post up game but once you look at the stats it shows he is only average. He had the 11th most post-up possessions in the NBA last season with 315, scoring 0.85 points per possession on those plays, per NBA Stats. He was in the 54.7th percentile of post-up scoring compared to people like Brook Lopez (79.4th) LaMarcus Aldridge (84.3rd) and Nikola Vucevic (75.8th). This year he is actually below average as a post up player. So he is not even good at his ONLY NBA skill. He is not a good basketball player and the trade offers reflect that.

It has nothing to do with how high he was drafted. Yes he's lost value since day one but I don't lay that all at his feet. Developing on the 76ers is not a way to increase your value. They don't try to integrate his game into their style of play, they barely play him and they don't have players who complement him. The team wasn't built for him so I don't expect him to shine in his 2nd year.

What he does have is the physical tools to be a great player and a touch around the basket that shows bbiq. It doesn't matter where he was drafted,what matters is the price he's available for. Ajinca and a 1st? We have a plethora of assets matching that which are expendable. The only question is do you believe the risk is worth taking?

He's what 21 years old? Prior to the NBA he was a proven winner wherever he went. Even in the NBA he has the physique to bully even the best centers. In a match up with Dwight earlier this year he was backing him down right to the basket for an easy finish. He has a 7'5" wingspan and a 9'2.25" standing reach which is great.
Can he defend? Not right now. He has imo shown improved pnr defense this year but it's starting from a low point. He will probably always have slow feet as well. But we have seen how players can learn on that end with application, look at the improvements KO has made over the years, his positional defending is fantastic now. If we can get Okafor to that point then he's a surefire rotation player.

Let's say that we have up Rozier for Okafor (I'm deliberately overvaluing him). Okafor doesn't pan out, what have we lost? If we draft Fultz or Ball this summer then Rozier is gone anyway and you certainly aren't getting better than a low 1st for him, teams would see we were desperate. So why not take a gamble? Okafor is cost controlled for two more years so we have time to play with.

If you could offer Mickey, Young and the Mem pick for him and one of their min contracts I think they'd take it. Or perhaps include the Min 2nd from this year as well

Rozier has a lot less value than Okafor.  If we could land Okafor for basically just Rozier, it would be a highway robbery.

[td450]

He has zero value. None. Nada.

He's everything the NBA is moving away from. He's slow, he can't shoot from far enough to pull his man out of the lane, and he doesn't pass very well. He can't defend. He may improve there, but he will never have the foot speed to switch onto anyone. He also has not shown he is driven to succeed.

He must either become a plus defender, or a viable shooter. Until one of those things happen, he has no value in the modern NBA. You can have someone like Greg Monroe for a ham sandwich these days, and he's a very talented post up scorer too.

His ceiling is to become a high scorer for a crappy team.

[TheSundanceKid]

He has zero value. None. Nada.

He's everything the NBA is moving away from. He's slow, he can't shoot from far enough to pull his man out of the lane, and he doesn't pass very well. He can't defend. He may improve there, but he will never have the foot speed to switch onto anyone. He also has not shown he is driven to succeed.

He must either become a plus defender, or a viable shooter. Until one of those things happen, he has no value in the modern NBA. You can have someone like Greg Monroe for a ham sandwich these days, and he's a very talented post up scorer too.

His ceiling is to become a high scorer for a crappy team.

It's a bit misleading to say the NBA is moving away from players like Okafor. There are fewer legitimate big men nowadays and teams are exploiting the newer rules which make PnR play very important. However we have seen Cousins dominate the last few years, albeit with no team success. We saw teams built around Dwight. Both Gasol brothers have shown a nice back to the basket and face up game on contending teams. Favors and Gobert is another growing example.

Now Okafor isn't on that level but you also aren't paying through the teeth for him. There is some logic to bucking the trend if you see an opportunity to. Copycats rarely duplicate the success of those originating the style, largely because you tend to be a step behind.

If you take a chance on Okafor for a relatively small package and it doesn't work out then ok, move on. But if it does work out then you just took a big step forward

[number_n9ne]

Eurgh, if the price is that low we need to be involved. Okafor still has upside for goodness sake. He'd be a nice piece for our 2nd unit with the potential to be much more than that

Why do we need to be involved? Just because he was drafted high? He is regressing as a player and he wasn't very good to begin with. What upside? He can't defend a chair and he is slow.

The one area where he is supposedly strong is his post up game but once you look at the stats it shows he is only average. He had the 11th most post-up possessions in the NBA last season with 315, scoring 0.85 points per possession on those plays, per NBA Stats. He was in the 54.7th percentile of post-up scoring compared to people like Brook Lopez (79.4th) LaMarcus Aldridge (84.3rd) and Nikola Vucevic (75.8th). This year he is actually below average as a post up player. So he is not even good at his ONLY NBA skill. He is not a good basketball player and the trade offers reflect that.

It has nothing to do with how high he was drafted. Yes he's lost value since day one but I don't lay that all at his feet. Developing on the 76ers is not a way to increase your value. They don't try to integrate his game into their style of play, they barely play him and they don't have players who complement him. The team wasn't built for him so I don't expect him to shine in his 2nd year.

What he does have is the physical tools to be a great player and a touch around the basket that shows bbiq. It doesn't matter where he was drafted,what matters is the price he's available for. Ajinca and a 1st? We have a plethora of assets matching that which are expendable. The only question is do you believe the risk is worth taking?

He's what 21 years old? Prior to the NBA he was a proven winner wherever he went. Even in the NBA he has the physique to bully even the best centers. In a match up with Dwight earlier this year he was backing him down right to the basket for an easy finish. He has a 7'5" wingspan and a 9'2.25" standing reach which is great.
Can he defend? Not right now. He has imo shown improved pnr defense this year but it's starting from a low point. He will probably always have slow feet as well. But we have seen how players can learn on that end with application, look at the improvements KO has made over the years, his positional defending is fantastic now. If we can get Okafor to that point then he's a surefire rotation player.

Let's say that we have up Rozier for Okafor (I'm deliberately overvaluing him). Okafor doesn't pan out, what have we lost? If we draft Fultz or Ball this summer then Rozier is gone anyway and you certainly aren't getting better than a low 1st for him, teams would see we were desperate. So why not take a gamble? Okafor is cost controlled for two more years so we have time to play with.

If you could offer Mickey, Young and the Mem pick for him and one of their min contracts I think they'd take it. Or perhaps include the Min 2nd from this year as well

TP this is exactly what i think.
Only a limited number of humans are his size with his hands and footwork.
If he can be had for what NOP are asking then we need to get involved and throw some serious offers at them.

Same, I've always liked him. This kid is so young still and like chambers said Only a limited number of humans are his size with his hands and footwork. If you could take the slow route like we are doing with Brown, Smart, etc. he might pan out. Right now he's in an awful situation in Philly with no vets or proper coaching to mold him. Rozier, clippers pick, min 2nd, what ever. Just give up non-Brooklyn picks and keep enough assets to still go for Butler.

[celticsclay]

He has zero value. None. Nada.

He's everything the NBA is moving away from. He's slow, he can't shoot from far enough to pull his man out of the lane, and he doesn't pass very well. He can't defend. He may improve there, but he will never have the foot speed to switch onto anyone. He also has not shown he is driven to succeed.

He must either become a plus defender, or a viable shooter. Until one of those things happen, he has no value in the modern NBA. You can have someone like Greg Monroe for a ham sandwich these days, and he's a very talented post up scorer too.

His ceiling is to become a high scorer for a crappy team.

It's a bit misleading to say the NBA is moving away from players like Okafor. There are fewer legitimate big men nowadays and teams are exploiting the newer rules which make PnR play very important. However we have seen Cousins dominate the last few years, albeit with no team success. We saw teams built around Dwight. Both Gasol brothers have shown a nice back to the basket and face up game on contending teams. Favors and Gobert is another growing example.

Now Okafor isn't on that level but you also aren't paying through the teeth for him. There is some logic to bucking the trend if you see an opportunity to. Copycats rarely duplicate the success of those originating the style, largely because you tend to be a step behind.

If you take a chance on Okafor for a relatively small package and it doesn't work out then ok, move on. But if it does work out then you just took a big step forward

You kind of proved his point with the players you listed. Cousins has 3 point range and is at least an average defender when he wants to be. Both Gasols have way better range and Marc is 3 times the defender okafor is. Gobert is 10 times the defender okafor is and is literally the opposite kind of player that okafor is. Dwight Howard is an extremely elite rebounder and was a defensive force in his prime. Favors is a pretty average player right now so not sure where he fits with the other. If you are being realistic about it the only kind of similar player that comes to mind is Monroe and I think he is at least a better rebounder than okafor (and also a bench player). From a center you look for defending, rebounding, shot blocking/rim protection, post scoring and shooting range. Okafor only does one of these things right now well.

[Real World]

How about something like Rozier and the rights to Yabu for Okafor?  Philly likely says no, but maybe it could be sweetened.

[Granath]

Interesting question:

Who would trade the rights of Zizic straight up for Okafor?

[Eja117]

Interesting question:

Who would trade the rights of Zizic straight up for Okafor?

Me

[colincb]

Interesting question:

Who would trade the rights of Zizic straight up for Okafor?

I would not. Okafor has a low probability of being an average NBA player.

[CoachBo]

Interesting question:

Who would trade the rights of Zizic straight up for Okafor?

The Legend of Zizic for the most hated player on CelticsBlog?

It'd be temping - if for no other reason than to watch the Garnett trade-style meltdown.

And we all know how that worked out.

[Ilikesports17]

Interesting question:

Who would trade the rights of Zizic straight up for Okafor?

The Legend of Zizic for the most hated player on CelticsBlog?

It'd be temping - if for no other reason than to watch the Garnett trade-style meltdown.

And we all know how that worked out.

hold up...

"Garnett trade-style meltdown"

what are you talking about?

[hwangjini_1]

Interesting question:

Who would trade the rights of Zizic straight up for Okafor?

The Legend of Zizic for the most hated player on CelticsBlog?

It'd be temping - if for no other reason than to watch the Garnett trade-style meltdown.

And we all know how that worked out.

hold up...

"Garnett trade-style meltdown"

what are you talking about?

i believe he might be saying that the cb hub bub and frenzy that would follow the zizic for okafur trade would rival that of the trade for garnett....but even then i dont think i understand what he is saying. 

[PhoSita]

Interesting question:

Who would trade the rights of Zizic straight up for Okafor?

The Legend of Zizic for the most hated player on CelticsBlog?

It'd be temping - if for no other reason than to watch the Garnett trade-style meltdown.

And we all know how that worked out.

hold up...

"Garnett trade-style meltdown"

what are you talking about?

i believe he might be saying that the cb hub bub and frenzy that would follow the zizic for okafur trade would rival that of the trade for garnett....but even then i dont think i understand what he is saying. 

He's referring to how people lost their minds when we traded Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green etc for Garnett.

i.e. people had really latched onto those players and freaked out about losing the "potential" those young guys had, even though the player coming back was established as an MVP caliber talent, even if he was already in his 30s.

Okafor is hardly an established talent, though certainly more proven than Zizic.