Lakers Draft: The Mysterious Case of Jahlil Okafor

Whatever Jahlil Okafor may or may not be, he is the ultimate winner. He has been a champion at every level of basketball competition in which he has thus far been eligible to participate. He attended high school in Chicago where he led his team to city and state championships. He was chosen as the National High School Player of the Year by McDonalds, USA Today, and Parade Magazine. In 2012, he participated in the FIBA “Under 17” World Championship Tournament where he was selected Most Valuable Player and the Unites States took home the gold medal. In 2013, his USA team won the same tournament in the “Under 19” category and he was a first-team “All Tournament” selection. Playing one year of college basketball at Duke, he led his team to the NCAA championship. He is a legitimate 6’11” tall with an enormous wing span and very large hands. He is a very solid 270 pounds. Standing next to Karl-Anthony Towns at the recent draft lottery, Okafor was the much larger man.

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Okafor is also a winner in life, which has not always been easy for him. His mother passed away when he was nine so he was raised by his father and aunt. He attended Chicago’s first magnate public high school, one of the highest ranked high schools scholastically in Illinois. Not only did he attend an outstanding college like Duke, he has always been a solid citizen who speaks well and is poised in interacting with the media. He displays strong leadership and character traits.

So it is a huge mystery to me why everyone been bashing him the past two months. It started when his college coach, the revered Coach K, gave an interview in which he seemed to hesitate when asked about Okafor’s future. He appeared to suggest that Okafor is not a hard worker and is a bit immature, that he has coasted thus far in his career on size-alone. Whether he meant to hurt Okafor or not, Coach K’s comments were shocking, and he really threw Okafor under a bus and that started a protracted period where there has been almost constant criticism. On ESPN radio, Colin Coward stated that among all the top prospects in this summer’s draft it is Okafor who has the most potential to be a bust. Recent reports have suggested he could actually fall in the draft to the Knicks with the fourth selection, or even lower. In the media it is repeated over and over that he can’t play defense, does not protect the rim, is an awful free-throw shooter, and is un-athletic.

Two months ago the Lakers were just praying they would not fall out of the top five in the lottery so they would not forfeit their top selection entirely. No one dared to dream the team could actually move up and thus be in a position to draft Okafor. Laker fans would have been positively giddy at that prospect. There would have been cries from all around the NBA that the process is fixed. Now, Laker fans are at best conflicted and many are urging the team to draft D’Angelo Russell or even Emmanuel Mudiay instead of Okafor. What in the world happened in such a short time, and why?

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Part of it can be explained by the fact that Karl-Anthony Towns, or his agent and publicists, have been able to use the media to convince everyone that he is the next Anthony Davis or at a minimum LaMarcus Aldridge. When last I saw Towns in action he was outplayed by Frank Kaminsky of Wisconsin in Kentucky’s shocking season-ending tournament loss. At first it was suggested that his strengths on the defensive end of the court made him a better NBA prospect than Okafor. Then everyone started saying he is a great shooter who can play inside and outside on offense. In a controlled, private workout that was videotaped and leaked to the media, he displayed impressive ball handling skills and shooting touch. In truth, Towns is not quite as large physically as advertised and is more of a power forward while Okafor is a center.

Another part of the explanation can be found in the NBA’s current obsession with “small ball.” Neither Golden State nor Cleveland is featuring a center prominently in the finals, and often in the fourth quarter both centers are on the bench. This has been a trend all season in the NBA and throughout the playoffs. Thus, some will argue, a back-to-the-basket post player, which is where Okafor was positioned in the Duke offense, is obsolete. Many NBA pundits argue the league is all about three point shooting and all a team really needs from the center position is someone who can clog the middle and guard the rim.

Of course, when is the last time a center with really dominant offensive skills in the post entered the NBA? The number 1 and 2 centers in the NBA – based on their selections to the first and second all-NBA teams this year – were Marc Gasol and Pau Gasol. Neither is especially athletic, neither is a gazelle running down the court, and both improved their game dramatically over time by developing a mid-range jump shot they had not displayed when they entered the league. Dwight Howard has never been gifted offensively. The same can be said for DeAndre Jordan and Tyson Chandler. Anthony Davis wasn’t the offensive force he has become today when he left college. Isn’t it possible that Okafor has the potential to become a more well-rounded player as he matures? Perhaps those skills just weren’t featured (or needed) in Duke’s system during the one year he played there.

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Towns may appear to have a more well-rounded game in comparison to Okafor. But there can be only one ultimate winner and it was Okafor, not Towns, who led his team to the NCAA championship this past season (Russell’s Ohio State team did not come close). Okafor has been the ultimate winner in high school, in college, and in international competition. I’m willing to place a bet on Okafor continuing his winning ways in the NBA. Towns is likely to be a great player too and if he ends up with the Lakers I will be fine with it. But anyone who sells Okafor short is very likely to be embarrassed, or in denial, by the end of this next season.