Jahlil Okafor

admin

gallery-nba-draft-prospects-pre-draft-media-tour

Gallery: NBA Draft Prospects Pre-Draft Media Tour

Jonah Ballow

With the NBA Draft less than a week away, the Knicks front office is in the midst of a crucial period of time when trade rumors are bandied about on a daily basis and mock drafts are shifting by the hour.  Options will present opportunities for New York, especially with the No. 4 overall pick and a myriad of directions it can navigate on Thursday night at the Barclays Center. 

“We’re enjoying the process, and that’s the fun thing. I think if you get a high position, you’re kind of locked in,” Knicks president Phil Jackson told the New York Times. “You try to stay open-minded, but there’s so much pressure about who’s slotted to go where and how all the pundits think the picks are supposed to fall. Now, we have an open field and we’re really exploring all our possibilities. So whereas before I was like, O.K., we’re going to draft a big, now we have to be open to what’s there for us that makes our team different.”

New York’s general manager Steve Mills is fielding calls from teams around the league seeking a trade partner.  The Knicks could explore a deal that would move them back in the draft for one or more picks or an acquisition to land an impact veteran. 

“There are a lot of teams that call, but you don’t get that many calls from teams who are picking from, let’s just say, 15 to 30. Everybody who is in that range wants to know, ‘Would you be willing to move down for X, Y and Z?’ So we’re diligent in trying to be open to thinking about whether there’s a combination of a good player plus a move down that we think rounds out our roster and puts us in a better position to build this team and move it forward. At the same time, we understand that we’re going to get a really good player that can be a part of where we’re going long term at No. 4,” Mills explained.

Most mock drafts project the Timberwolves selecting Karl-Anthony Towns at No. 1.  After this consensus belief, the draft becomes much more difficult to predict as the Lakers could take guard D’Angelo Russell or center Jahlil Okafor with the No. 2 pick.  The recent workout from Kristaps Porzingis sent shockwaves around the league and he is now considered a wildcard that could land as early as No. 2 or to the 76ers at the third spot.  All these scenarios will generate a tremendous amount of intrigue by the time the Knicks are prepared to make their move on draft night.

“We have no big men,” Jackson stated. “So we’re seeing what can we add to our team that will move us along and make us a better team, and we’ll have to fill out that big possibility with some free agents if we end up going smaller with wings and guards in the draft. But there’s some good players. This is a draft that everybody feels like, in the lottery, from 1 through 14, there’s really good players, and a lot of good players that will be there in the later part of the first round, too. History tells us that 1 through 10 usually indicates that you’re going to get a starter at some level.”

Stay tuned to Knicks Draft Central for comprehensive coverage, including draft profiles, photo galleries, and videos.

phil-jackson-and-knicks-front-office-evaluate-options-heading-into-draft

Phil Jackson and Knicks Front Office Evaluate Options Heading Into Draft

nbaplatformservices

by-the-numbers-jahlil-okafor

By The Numbers: Jahlil Okafor

There’s a fascination with the “big man” that has always existed in basketball.  In a sport that mainly features oversized men in relation to the general population, this specific position generates a tremendous amount of intrigue.  This year’s NBA Draft class if filled with unique big men with varying skill sets that bridge the old school classification of a center / power forward and the new wave of players at those positions stretching to the perimeter.

Let’s toss aside the exact position of where these guys will play in the NBA --- meaning some could play two spots traditionally labeled the 5 or 4 and some could play up to three.  Today’s NBA game allows for more flexibility as we’ve seen with Draymond Green excelling at the center spot for the Golden State Warriors.

The two players that seem to be at the center (no pun intended) of the discussion are Karl-Anthony Towns out of Kentucky and Duke’s center Jahlil Okafor.  As Knicks.com’s Charlie Widdoes detailed in his prospect profile, Towns sacrificed his numbers in order for the Wildcats to utilize a platoon system.  Towns also became a back-to-the-basket offensive threat as opposed to launching threes, which he did on a regular basis at St. Joseph High School in New Jersey, connecting on 127 in his career.

Okafor displayed a more traditional approach to his game.  Offensively, the 6-11 center dominated from the low-post and is a truly gifted passer.  Okafor found a home on the blocks during the 2014-15 season by posting up 8.4 times per game and registering 0.933 points per possession.

“In Okafor, you have a kid whose limitations, right now, may be on the defensive end, but you’re talking about a very skilled young offensive player at 6’11”, who I think in his early 20s is going to be un-guardable,” ESPN draft guru Fran Fraschilla explained.  Whereas Towns is not as ready‑made as Okafor may be offensively, but he’s got tantalizing shot blocking potential.  He’s developing into a low‑post scorer.  And something that was not seen this year, that many of us have watched him since he was about 16 know that he can do, is that he can step away from the basket and shoot threes.”

Speaking of perimeter shooting and efficiency, the most polished offensive big man could quite possibly be the NCAA’s Player of the Year.  Frank Kaminsky registered the highest post-up efficiency of the potential 2015 draftees, according to Synergy Sports Technology, highlighted in Luke Winn’s SI.com feature.  The Wisconsin standout owns a mixed bag of tricks on the offensive side, including a nice handle, pick-and-pop capabilities to the 3-point line, and an array of moves in the post.

“That’s how I have always played.  I was a guard before I was tall, so kind of just kept those skills with me and turns out that was the right decision,” Kaminsky stated.

From a defensive standpoint, Willie Cauley-Stein is near the top of the entire draft board.  Cauley-Stein is just slightly behind Towns for the most defensive win shares (’09-10 to present), which is found in Winn’s draft feature and according to Sports-Reference.com/cbb.  The elder statesman of Kentucky’s heralded young crew worked seamlessly next to Towns as the anchor on one of the best defensive college teams in recent memory.  He’s also an underrated offensive force through the use of lobs and clean-up type of opportunities around the tin. 

 “I’m excited to show people that I can be an offensive presence.  I can do a lot of different things on the offensive side and still kill on defense, so putting that together you have a world-class athlete,” Cauley-Stein professed at the Draft Combine in Chicago.

Cauley-Stein’s teammate Trey Lyles is a Swiss Army Knife with a balanced skill set to either play power forward or even float to the center position in small-ball lineups.  The fluidity and playmaking ability seen from Lyles is certainly intriguing as a sleeper and what could very well make him a selection for a lottery team.

“Trey is, again, a young player who is a teenager at 6’10”, 235, I think he can develop into a good, solid, low‑post player who can pick‑and‑pop a little bit on the perimeter,” Fraschilla assessed.   “I like his long‑term potential.  Not a great athlete at this point, maybe never will be, but I could see him being a solid NBA player for a decade.  Whether he becomes a star or not remains to be seen.  But he’ll add great value to a team wanting to add a good, young, quality big guy.

The wildcard out of this group of bigs is Kristaps Porzingis.  Fraschilla’s brief characterization of Porzingis is eye opening: “A 19‑year‑old, almost 7’2″ power forward who can shoot threes, and defend the rim.  But he’s a couple of years away strength‑wise.  But I’m telling you, he’s in the same long‑term potential range as both Towns and Okafor.”

The point of this exercise was to illustrate the amount of bigs available at the top of this year’s NBA Draft.  Each one of these prospects offer unique skills that could make them an attractive option for the Knicks at No. 4 or in a trade scenario.  New York will also examine a talented group of guards and wings prior to the highly anticipated night on June 25.  If the Knicks opt for a big, we could see one of these giants in the orange and blue next season.

countdown-to-the-draft-examining-the-big-men

Countdown To The Draft: Examining The Big Men

2015-draft-prospect-gallery-jahlil-okafor

2015 Draft Prospect Gallery: Jahlil Okafor

Charlie Widdoes

HT: 6'11" | WT: 270 lbs. | Wingspan: 7'5" | 19 years old

2014-15 Stats: 17.3 PPG | 8.7 RPG | 66.4 FG%

Okafor arrived in Durham as the No. 1 recruit in the country, an AP preseason All-American before playing a minute at Cameron Indoor Stadium. He leaves as a National Champion and potential top pick, having justified enormous expectations during one of the most prolific statistical seasons for a big man in recent NCAA memory.

At his peak, the team that drafts Okafor will be hoping for a dominant low-post presence, the type of go-to guy who commands double-teams and consistently beats them. It’s a lofty ceiling, but he fits the profile after scoring 17.4 points a game as the focal point of the 3rd most efficient offense in the country.

As a freshman, Okafor’s size and enormous hands set him apart from even the most physically-developed NCAA competition. He uses his lower body to carve out space anywhere around the paint and when he turns to score, he punishes defenses with footwork and exceptional touch around the hoop.

Despite seeing extra defenders regularly, he finished the season shooting 66.9 percent from the floor, good for 6th in NCAA. When he seals his man, it’s over.

His biggest fans will tell you that Okafor's passing is what really sets him apart as a prospect. After all, with opponents loading up to block his way to the basket, it was Okafor’s ability to trigger offense via the kickout that made Duke so hard to guard.

He’s so comfortable seeing extra defenders that he receives every entry pass as a dual threat to drop step and score or attack with the pass. When the shot isn’t there, he doesn’t force it; he surveys the floor and calmly selects his target. You could envision him anchoring the low post in the Triangle, spotting cutters and posting double-doubles on a nightly basis. 

He can do it all in the post, which is why many consider him the most pro-ready offensive player in the draft. He also pulled down 8.5 rebounds per game – including 4.6 offensive boards per 40 minutes, which is 3rd best in the DraftExpress Top 100 – numbers that tend to translate to the next level.

He won a national title by making life easier for his teammates on both ends of the floor, and has the potential to make a similar impact at the next level, especially as he enters an NBA strength and conditioning program. He even turned some heads as he contributed to Duke’s transformation from below-average to elite defensive team by March. 