New York Knicks: Why Karl-Anthony Towns Is Their Man Over Jahlil Okafor
By Robby Sabo
If Phil Jackson and his New York Knicks win the lottery this upcoming spring, they should head into the draft with Karl-Anthony Towns first on the board.
One of the cruel realities of the NBA is where the organization of the New York Knicks currently find themselves in.
They are currently playing out the horrid string that is the 2014-15 regular season. Well, “playing out” is just a commonly used phrase, which is why we use it here.
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The Knicks are trying to win games, but boss Phil Jackson won’t allow it. He stripped the personnel as much as possible throughout this debacle of a season.
Like I already mentioned, it’s a cruel reality, but one that is necessary if an NBA franchise wants an opportunity to rebuild a real, championship contender in future years. Obviously there are other ways to reload, but very rarely does a team stuck in despair (year after year) turn it around to contending level without tanking
Fortunately for New York, the 2015 NBA Draft class is loaded.
Not for a while have we seen such a crop of potential studs in the top-five.
For much of the year it was Duke’s Jahlil Okafor who led the talk of probable No. 1 pick come summer time. He has since been caught up to by Kentucky’s Karl-Anthony Towns.
Yes, Emmanuel Mudiay, D’Angelo Russell, Kristaps Porzingas, and even Justise Winslow who has come on strong during the tournament, are four other names to watch out for. For all intents and purposes though, Okafor and Towns each represent once a decade talents who are tough to replicate.
In all likelihood they will be selected with the top-two picks of the NBA Draft.
The Knicks are currently sporting a paltry record of 15-62 which firmly plants them last in the association.
Should the Knicks go on and win the NBA Draft Lottery, they need to select Karl-Anthony Towns out of Kentucky.
Here’s the explanation.
Both Towns and Okafor are 6-foot-11 monsters who can each move faster than the competition. Both guys are offensive minded as we witnessed from their freshmen seasons at their respective schools. Both are phenomenal big-man basketball talents.
Okafor actually represents the more polished player at the moment.
Heading into the National Championship game on Monday night, Okafor played 37 games on the season. He averaged 17.5 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game with an absurd .667 shooting percentage from the field.
Towns on the other hand finished his year with 39 games played, 10.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and a .566 field goal percentage.
While Okafor was the statistical winner, many can argue that Towns just didn’t receive the opportunities Okafor did. Towns’ supporting cast needed more attempts per game. It measured out that way as Okafor attempted 411 shots while Towns came in at 256.
Remember though, we are discussing the NBA — where the big man needs to be vicious.
When looking at both bodies, Towns seems to have much growth left. While his frame is already solid, his quickness and hustle plays on both ends of the floor amaze the onlooker at times. Towns has a ton of potential growth to come during the next few years.
Okafor on the other hand, while he’ll still grow of course, doesn’t quite measure up to the potential that Towns has.
Towns simply has a much higher ceiling.
How about his 81 percent free throw percentage? The man does have the ability to knock down shots from the 15-foot range. We were just never afforded the opportunity to witness it because of Kentucky’s skill and lack of need in that area. Okafor shot only .513 from the foul line this season.
There’s no question Okafor currently showcases the better low-post game at the moment, but will he ever be able to face-up and knock down a mid-range shot on a consistent basis?
Additionally, defense is what might separate these two come draft day.
While both guys displayed very little defensive wherewithal this past season, it stands to reason Towns has the quicker body that could grow into a defensive player. Oftentimes Okafor gets very lost on the defensive end — especially in the pick and roll game which dominates the NBA.
Towns looks like a guy who has the body that could be as active as a Tyson Chandler on the defensive end of the floor.
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Furthermore, while Okafor collected more rebounds than Towns this past year, he doesn’t attack the ball as well as Towns does. That will be huge come NBA time for these two, and the only reason Okafor amassed more rebounds was because of the other big-men who surrounded Towns at Kentucky.
The key words for the Knicks in a few months will be “versatility” and “potential.”
There’s no question about it: drafting Jahlil Okafor is still a great haul. However, if the Knicks find themselves with the choice, they should go with the guy who’ll do more things at the professional level and has more room for growth.
Make no mistake about it, Towns is not a project. It’s only a matter of Okafor being a tiny bit more polished than him at the moment. When I talk about growth and potential, it means Towns has a ways to go before we see him at his best. Okafor’s ceiling isn’t quite as high.
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