Jul 11, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center
(8) is congratulated by teammates on the bench during an NBA Summer League game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Sixers Player News: Defense of Jahlil Okafor
When the Philadelphia 76ers claimed the player with their third pick of the 2015 NBA Draft, there was no question that center Jahlil Okafor was the obvious choice as far as overall talent. But there were plenty of thoughts as to whether the Sixers might trade the pick, trade the player, or embedded in the “wudda cudda shudda” circle of other prospects who offered more value to the team because they played the point guard position.
But the news of Okafor making the team, which coincided with the news that Joel Embiid would require a second surgery to his injured foot, created a chain of events for the team. With the news, it required practically no time to understand where the team would need to go in terms of scheme and planning.
The pairing of Jahlil Okafor with Nerlens Noel together places a set of huge bodies near the rim, players whose games are nearly perfectly complimentary of one another. Noel, a defensive standout even by the NBA standards, is incredibly athletic. He blocks shots at a pace which reminds me of the play of Dikembe Mutombo. Okafor, on the other hand, plays a very physical old school game on and around the post. He’s an offensive dynamo, and his ability to rain shots in that close proximity rounds out the Sixers front court. His game resembles that of another former Sixer great, Moses Malone. If they realize their potential, Okafor and Noel could do great things together on this team by themselves.
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But a player who doesn’t grow, doesn’t evolve. In today’s NBA, a player who doesn’t evolve remains stagnant, and is quickly cast aside. Nerlens Noel played fantastically for the Sixers in his rookie season, and was a shining star on the team as he certainly played an incredible rookie season. That should be enough for any player, correct? When news of the Okafor selection, Noel was wise enough to realize his value for the team now rested in his versatility. So he has spent the off-season upgrading his offensive forte, acquiring new shots to enable him to play minutes at the power forward position.
But if Noel can learn a shot, can Okafor learn a block? If Jahlil Okafor is assuming the lead dog role of the team offensively, is that enough to expect of him? Well, let’s discuss his defense.
Next: Blue Devil Dynamo
Apr 7, 2015; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils players stand behind their national championship and regional championship trophies during a welcome home ceremony at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports
Blue Devil Dynamo
The Duke Blue Devils basketball team is coached by NCAA legend Mike Krzyzewski, and he knows a few things about basketball. The 67 year old coach has remained relevant in basketball because he will change old habits. Such was the case in January 2015 when he switched the Blue Devils defense from a primarily man to man into a 2-3 zone defense. One of the players on that team? Rookie standout center Jahlil Okafor.
"“We didn’t make many adjustments. We did watch film and try to correct some mistakes on things that we were supposed to do against Louisville that we didn’t execute since it was our first time playing zone. We basically just tried to keep the ball out of the middle of the floor.” – Jahlil Okafor after a 14 point five assist night against Louisville"
Krzyzewski didn’t just change things up for the sake of change, he had good reason of doing so. He saw a team playing as individuals, and less as a team. When the offense struggled, the defense did too. So he infused more teamwork into the team. Defend TOGETHER.
"“There were no breakdowns defensively against Wisconsin, against Michigan State, against Stanford, against Connecticut. We were playing great defense. Our defense started going bad when our offense went and we couldn’t hit a shot. I am not saying that we cannot defend better either; we should have. I think the missed shooting hurt us the other way. What I think happens is you are out there alone, instead of being together. It’s having each other’s back and you find more people have your back. It helps a little bit psychologically. We talked better. In the first half, they’re right in front of us, our defense, and because they are learning it – we can talk to them and help them.”"
For the season, Duke Jahlil Okafor averaged 30 minutes per game, 17.3 points per game, 8.5 rebounds per game, 1.4 blocks per game and 1.3 assists per game. He shot 66.4% on field goals, and 51% from the free throw line.
Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown wanted to learn about his new center, so he picked up the phone and talked with Krzyzewski for half an hour. He wanted some basics, but he walked away with some valuable insight as to his young new NBA center.
"“I had a fantastic conversation with Coach K and when we hung up, I knew Jahlil had great potential and is a terrific, young prospect, but I hadn’t realized what type of person we had, as well,” Brown said. “The more I learn about Jahlil, the more you respect his upbringing value and love of the game. I was in the office at 6:30 the other morning, and he’s in the gym working with a trainer. You then go upstairs and get ready for a day’s work and you feel great. I’m really excited to coach him, and the program is going to realize very quickly how special he is.”"
Brown is a mentor, molder, shaper, and magician with the youth in today’s NBA. His role is especially vital to the team’s long term success, particularly since they are banking on the development of young and incredibly talented young men.
Next: They're Just Wrong
March 24, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown holds the whiteboard during the second quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
But they’re just wrong, I know they are, Cause I can play this here…
Okafor has arrived to an NBA team ripe for excitement, hype, and a little unfettered optimism. For two years the hopes and aspirations of the city of Philadelphia have been trapped into a time release capsule of general manager Sam Hinkie’s making – talent today for the rights to picks or talent tomorrow. That tomorrow is arriving now.
And so is Okafor.
"“He’s going to be a high double-double guy in the pros. He’s gifted. He’s got feet and hands that you can’t teach. He’s got an attitude that’s amazing. I think he’s the best player in the draft,” Coach Mike Krzyzewski on sportsradio with ESPN’s Colin Cowherd."
But the hype can only take this team so far. In the end, play defines the success of the team. Coach Brown knows this. Much like his NFL counterpart, Chip Kelly, Brown understands the way to leverage the athleticism of his team is to play fast. He set a goal of running a fast paced NBA team. Done. He set a goal of improving the defense but keeping the pace up. Done.
Now he adds to that group a young center who absolutely dominates the low post offensively and goes quiet in the post defensively. Does a young man of Okafor’s size and strength have enough quickness and ability to run the floor to keep the Brown pace up?
"“His presence places a real clarity what to do when it becomes a slow-down game. But I think there’s a lot more in him than just a horse in the post. To only use him that way, I think, is a disservice to his future. I think how Stan Van Gundy used Dwight Howard and pick-and-rolled him in the post. I watch his nimble footwork, the mobile side. I think he can get out and run. You’ve heard me say many times: My world is pace, space and pass. We want to continue to run. It’s a puzzle how we’re going to do things, but, at the same time, it’s fun to think things out. Once we learn more and ultimately declare to the marketplace what Joel’s future is, then I think that my challenge, our challenge, becomes more transparent. I think, in general, it’s both puzzling and most definitely exciting. Had I not worked a long time ago with Tim [Duncan] and David [Robinson] in San Antonio, you would be more confused and not see it as clear as I do. “"
And so, the right man in the right place at the right time. For Joel Embiid, the Sixers have Dr. David T. Martin. And for the arrival of Jahlil Okafor, the Sixers have head coach Brett Brown.
Next: Shake It Off
Apr 7, 2015; Durham, NC, USA;Duke Blue Devils center Jahlil Okafor watches a highlight video during a welcome home ceremony at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports
Shake It Off
To read the projections of Jahlil Okafor, you see two schools of thought. In one camp you have former Duke’s coach Krzyzewski who sings his praises. You run into talent scouts who see this big man’s post game and see the legends of the NBA coming back to life. Some see Jahlil Okafor as a renaissance player of the glory days of the NBA, single-handedly restoring the pro basketball model to big men restoring the offensive responsibilities to the NBA big man.
To others? He’s a one trick pony. He’s a post guy who stands and shoots, a guy who is offense only. His ability to defend? zero
Which is it?
Well, Brown talked to Krzyzewski about that.
"“Duke needed him on the floor and I talked to Coach K about that. I don’t see it [an inability to defend]. I watch him running the floor, a nimble man with mobility and big enough that if you use the verticality rules, he’s good. He’s not a shot blocker, but can play straight up and still be that size and that weight at the rim. I don’t see it at first glance as big of a problem that others see it is. I also see a desire to want to play defense. I understand the challenge there, but through coaching and getting his body to the best shape of his life, and we will, I see really good things all over the floor.” – Brett Brown"
Jahlil Okafor is a fresh and young NBA talent, even by today’s rule. He is a young man in a giant’s body. He’s also an NBA starting center at the ripe old age of 19. The expectation of anyone who dons a jersey and steps foot onto the basketball court is “mature” “ripe” “peaking”. But for a 19 year old with one year of college basketball, his game is just beginning to develop.
In the NBA summer league, Okafor averaged 30 mins, 15.8 PPG, 8.4 RPG, .8 BPG and 1.4 RPG. His numbers are pretty consistent with the stats he had at Duke. It’s no wonder, as he has yet to practice with his full team. His game is understandably similar to the game he played as a Blue Devil.
Okafor has a 7’5 wingspan and a 9’3 standing reach. That’s impressive stuff, even for NBA centers. Jahlil is not going to leap over anyone’s head, but he doesn’t have to do so. He’ll learn the vertical leap needed to provide a defensive buttress near the rim to cause shooter headaches. On the Duke team, a team with 8 players, foul trouble was a serious concern. To avoid penalties, the coaching staffed pounded conservative defense into the players heads. What shows up on tape is not a series of bad defensive playing talent, but rather a well coached team that was coached to AVOID FOUL TROUBLE.
Next: You're Busted
Jul 14, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor (8) is defended by New York Knicks forward
Kristaps Porzingis(46) during an NBA Summer League game at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Shakedown, breakdown, you’re busted…
Basketball analysts are very detailed in assessing prospects for the NBA. But the fact is their ability is oftentimes limited to box scores and tape. It’s not a bad limitation, as it does give some level of validation. But the circumstances of the player, the team, and the game are washed over. Garbage points from a team far behind can make a youtube highlight film, showing a player who struggles in heated competition lighting it up when the game is already far out of reach. Duke’s team was good, very good. So when the coffin is nailed shut on Jahlil Okafor, I set out to find evidence to counter that. All I could find was this video of his defensive work:
Here’s some summer league video. The work is against other NBA newcomers and shows consistant offense. Okafor will bring a new post presence to a team seeking offensive help this year. The arrival of the 19 year old Duke center, while unexpected, is certainly well timed.
Okafor looks relaxed in this setting. His offensive game looks polished. With the coaching of Brown, and the athletic training of Dr. Martin ahead of him, his game will only improve. Improve from what? As always, we have more videos to show you
I’m not promising the best of the NBA. But I’m confident that the game of a 19 year rookie center will continue to evolve, develop, improve, and expand. Jahlil Okafor is young, motivated, and has a great work ethic. Under the tutelage of Brett Brown, he’ll certainly be given every opportunity to learn under a patient coach and mentor. This team is harnessing the best to develop players. With a player of Okafor’s caliber, the results could end up spectacular.
Far too many have viewed video of the 19 year old center and already concluded “that’s as good as it gets”. No. Busted. That’s the worst it gets. He’s under one of the most progressive professional basketball programs in the NBA right now. Training, nutrition, hydration, shot selection and more have been addressed. Now it’s a matter of time and effort, and we know we have that.
Next: The Gambler
Sep 27, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers general manger Sam Hinkie is recorded on an iphone during a media day at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
The Gambler
It’s probably fitting that the NBA’s biggest risk taker assumes the biggest risk of the 2015 NBA draft. The number of questions about Okafor’s defensive play give him a wide range of outcomes, even for an NBA prospect. If Okafor doesn’t remain physically fit, doesn’t play hard, and fails to fix many of his poor instincts and habits he often displayed in college, he will be an awful defender. Even if just one of those flaws remains unfixed, it will significantly hurt Okafor’s defensive game. However, if he stays fit, works hard, and further develops the instincts he did flash in college he could be a Marc Gasol like defensive anchor.
So many times we see a prospect with projections of “everything going right”. RGIII in the NFL is the most recent example of too high too fast projections, that when pierced, reveal a hot air balloon of expectations that crashes to the ground. Even the “facts” you may believe about our rookie center may not in fact be true.
But sometimes we get too far ahead of ourselves on the negative. Detractors of Okafor placed far too much emphasis on an under-rosterd NCAA basketball program that rode a hot handed center’s shooting into the championship. That Duke Blue Devil team needed Okafor’s offense and needed him to stay out of foul trouble.
Brett Brown will have his own coaching mandates to lay upon his team and Jahlil Okafor. I’m encouraged by the young man’s attitude, and his athleticism. Incoming players to the NBA have already recognized Okafor’s potential,voting him as the likely rookie of the year for the upcoming season. It’s clear that he will play a significant role for the Sixers this season. He has to. Joel Embiid is returning next season. Okafor has one year to cement himself in the role.