Jahlil Okafor 6’11 272 lbs C 7’5 Wingspan Duke Fr.
2014-15 Stats: 38 games 30 mpg 17.3 ppg 8.6 rpg(3.5 Off) 1.3 apg 1.4 bpg 66% FG 51% FT
#2 on the Big Board
Grade: Top 5 pick
Strengths: Okafor is big, long, and nimble. He is a very massive man, with huge hands and very long arms. He’s a very good interior player for a kid his age. Has soft, reliable hands and catches the ball and finishes through contact. He has a strong, thick lower half that he uses to carve out post position close to the basket and to box out for rebounds. Very soft touch around the basket, he has a hook shot, baseline spin moves, and the up and under. He flashes a face up jumper which he banks off of the glass with accuracy. One of the most underrated aspects of his game is his ability to face up, put the ball on the floor, beating his man off of the bounce and finishing at the rim. Okafor sees the floor very well and is an able and willing passer, consistently finding teammates for spot up 3’s or cutting to the rim.
Weaknesses: Okafor puts out inconsistent effort running the floor, especially on defense. His overall effort defensively needs serious work. He has the physical tools and ability to be a solid post defender, but he has to become more physical. He gets caught standing straight up when defending pick and rolls, making it difficult for him to contain dribble penetration. He struggled vs bigs who could face him up and put it on the floor. He has to get in better condition, doesn’t rebound out of his area and will often get beat up the floor by his man. Okafor isn’t a rim protector. He shoots only 51% from the foul line, he’s a guy that gets fouled plenty and will be targeted if the NBA doesn’t change the Hack-A-Shaq rule.
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