Philadelphia 76ers: Jahlil Okafor Summer League Progress Report

The center position is dead in the NBA … right?

After all, the expulsion of the big man spot from the NBA All-Star ballot was supposed to spell the end of the long tradition of 7-footers governing the association.

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Undoubtedly, there has been a prolonged dry spell of elite talent at the five position. There remains no generational giant to inherit the dominating precedent set forth by the Wilt Chamberlains, Kareem Abdul-Jabbars, Patrick Ewings, Hakeem Olajuwons, and the Shaquille O’Neals.

While small ball and versatility consume the undivided attention of the incumbent NBA landscape, the importance of the big man in the modern-day game is secretly undersold.

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Yes, there has been an elongated drought of paradigm-changing centers — thank is large to the rash of inexplicable career-derailing injuries suffered by the generational bigs of this era; such as, Yao Ming, Greg Oden, Andrew Bynum, and sadly, Joel Embiid — but, that could all change over the next couple of seasons.

More specifically, Anthony Davis — the prototype 21st-century big man — is on pace to take over the crown as the best player in the game. Meanwhile, an army of young giants — most notably, DeMarcus Cousins, Rudy Gobert, Andre Drummond, Hassan Whiteside, and Karl-Anthony Towns — looks poised to infiltrate the big man’s dictating nature back into the NBA.

The above mentioned behemoths all share something in common: elite length and athleticism. However, the No. 3 overall pick in the past year’s draft, Jahlil Okafor, is a throwback of sorts. Some have even gone to label him as a plodder.

While his physical profile is nothing to sneeze at — standing at 6’11” in shoes, equipped with a 7’5″ wingspan and a 9’2.5″ standing reach — his measurables pale in comparison to that of a Gobert, Whiteside, Towns, and Cousins (all of whom sport a standing reach of greater than 9’5″),

Likewise, he lacks the jaw-dropping explosiveness and/or agility of a Drummond or Davis to compensate for his lack of upper-echelon reach.

Okafor, however, is not only bringing the big man back to the forefront of NBA success, he’s also looking to resurrect the back-to-the-basket game back into the good graces of modern day offenses.

He may lack the two-way potential of a Towns, but he unequivocally possess one elite skill — in his feel on the block — that not many 19-year-olds have even a rudimentary grasp of. But, due to his physical limitations, his niche expertise may pigeon hole his impact.

The popular, and low-hanging fruit, comparison is Al Jefferson — a low-post savant whose defensive liabilities often hinder the effectiveness of his teams. Sure, you can surround Big Al with the perfect complement of gritty defensive specialists (see the 2013-14 Charlotte Bobcats), but ideally you want your center, a defensive premium position, to anchor your D.

With that being said, the Philadelphia 76ers took a calculated risk when they took Okafor. Specifically, not only was Big Jah this best player available, Philly also houses Nerlens Noel, a 6’11” pterodactyl who proved last season he has a chance to become a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate as soon next year.

Thus, the pairing of Okafor and Noel should fit hand-in-hand, and Jahlil’s passing/vision out of the low-post — a skill that Jefferson lacks — should mitigate some of the inevitable spacing issues the Sixers’ twin-tower backline will present.

When the 76ers’ Summer League adventures began in Salt Lake City during the beginning of July, NBA fans and pundits alike watched intently to see if Okafor’s post game is as advertised. In particular, many wondered how he’ll operate in an NBA setting, and most importantly, how his defense will translate to the next level.

The Good

In the five Summer League games he participated in Utah and Las Vegas, Okafor averaged 15.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, per NBA.com; but he also committed 4.6 turnovers a contest, and shot an uninspiring 44.0 percent from the field and a grisly 39.1 percent from the free throw line.

As his anecdotal output would indicate, Jahlil was far from efficient in his Summer League stint; he did, however, exhibit his wide array of offensive skills and gave us a glimpse of his dominance on the block.

In particular, his footwork and fluidity in the post is truly special. His fundamentals are immaculate — from the way he catches, chins the ball, surveys the middle, crab dribbles and probes, before determining a course of action, to the way he so eloquently uses the glass on his repertoire of hook and push shots.

When operating on the low block, Okafor has a never-ending catalog of back-to-the-basket moves; he’s got counters on counters — from dream shakes to up-and-unders.

He may not be an “elite athlete” in the traditional sense, but his body control at 270-plus pounds and the nimbleness in which he exhibits in tight quarters suggest otherwise.

Jahlil also effectively offsets his middling explosiveness with his million-dollar oven mitts.

His gargantuan paws allow Okafor to not only finish around the basket with the greatest of ease, but to also manipulate double teams with a bevy of ball fakes. It gives him the ability to fight off doubles and split collapsing defenses with his hands and footwork.

Perhaps, the most impressive part of Jahlil’s performance this summer was his display of a highly efficacious face-up game.  Even without a reliable jumper, Okafor routinely wheeled and dealed his way towards the rack.

His offensive game is a bewitching, lethal concoction of a Blake Griffin and a Brook Lopez. Explicitly, he combines Lopez’s push and hook shots with Griffin’s handles and unorthodox takeoffs.

While his pick-and-roll game is still very much a work-in-progress, when receiving the ball at the top of the key, he often gives a convincing pump-fake, unleashes a devastating between-the-legs crossover, before changing direction one more time with a pirouette spin move into a one-footed hook shot/floater.

Such skills are easily transferrable once the real games start come late October/early November.

On the other hand, contrary his dreadful assist-to-turnover numbers, Jahlil engender a cavalcade of good looks for his teammates when opposing defenses hard-digged and doubled.

Whether making the simple direct pitch back to the post-entry passer, or probing and delivering a cross court zinger to an open shooter on the opposite wing, Okafor showcased the one distinct skill in which separates him from the Jeffersons and Lopezes.

Defensively, Okafor gave us glimpses of how he can positively affect the game through his innate massive base and ballerina-like feet.

In particular, during his stint in Salt Lake City, the former Blue Devil did an exploratory job of providing the initial help; often walling off the boxes and swallowing up the opposing ball-in-hand paint invader by simply staying vertical/big.

However, whether it’s due to his lack of fast-twitch athleticism or effort, Big Jah is usually slow to recover and resume his rim protection duties. The good news for Sixers fans, though, is that come the regular season, Okafor will be tethered with Noel — who specializes in the expeditious art of helping and recovering.

In addition, during his stint in Vegas, the 6’11” 270-pound brute also displayed incredible lateral quickness when defending in space; whether it be blitzing the rare pick-and-roll, or when switched out on an island and tasked to guard an opposing primary ball-handler.

Looking forward to next season, Sixers coach Brett Brown would be wise to hard hedge the majority of the pick-and-rolls Okafor is involved in defensively — a la Jusuf Nurkic, who shares very similar measurables. In doing so, it exploits Jah’s strengths while camouflaging his weaknesses as a rim protector.

The scheme will also concurrently keep Jah involved and interested on the defensive end of the floor.

The Bad

The most glaring flaw Jahlil currently possesses is unquestionably his free throw shooting.

Like most towering big men with oversized hands, Okafor has yet to find a remedy to earn free, unimpeded points. Explicitly, he shot only 39.1 percent from the charity stripe in Summer League, and did not fare much better during his lone season as a Dukie, converting on only 51.0 percent from the line.

His shooting form, however, does not seem to be an issue. His release is smooth and soft — free from a troublesome hitch or awkward follow-through.

A smooth release is not an indicator of promise, though; if DeAndre Jordan‘s free throw stroke has taught us anything, it’s that their woes at the charity stripe are much more of a mysterious matter, along the lines of the Bermuda Triangle.

As such, based on his scoring proficiency, teams will certainly be employing the Gore-A-Okafor (working title; suggestions welcomed) next season in an NBA arena near you.

In addition to his poor free throw shooting, the Chicago-native also had his fair share of troubles finishing through elite length.

Chiefly, in his much ballyhooed head-to-head matchup against Kristaps Porzingis — the No. 4 overall pick of the 2015 NBA Draft — Okafor had at least three of his shot attempts sent back by the 7’3″ praying mantis.

At this point, he is noticeably more patient within the tight confines of the paint when operating against a smaller or like-sized defender.

However, when defended by the likes of Porzingis, or within the presence of a bouncy weakside shotblocker — namely Larry Nance Jr. of the Los Angeles Lakers — Okafor has a tendency to rush his finishes and prematurely show the rim protector the ball.

With that being said, this is probably the first time Jah has ever faced somebody who towered over him — he’s always been the biggest and baddest big on the block.

Based on his vast armory of fakes and counters, he should be fine finishing over length once he slows down and utilizes his sizeable caboose to curate space under the basket — ala Zach Randolph.

Even if he doesn’t, there’s simply aren’t many 7’3″ walking skyscrapers, blessed with a 7’6″ wingspan and a 9’6″ standing reach, walking around in the association.

In fact, a quick search on DraftExpress’ historical pre-draft measurements database finds that, of all the current centers in the NBA, only Rudy Gobert (9’7″), JaVale McGee (9’6.5″), Lucas Nogueira (9’6″), DeAndre Jordan (9’5.5″), Brendan Haywood (9’5.5″), Brook Lopez (9’5″), Hassan Whiteside (9’5″), Karl-Anthony Towns (9’5″), and Robert Upshaw (9’5″) sport a standing reach of greater than 9’5″.

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Thus, even if you conservatively include Roy Hibbert and Alex Len — both of whom were not measured as amateurs — into the mix, the only starting-caliber centers blessed with elite length residing in the Eastern Conference are Porzingis, Lopez, and Whiteside.

Another concern regarding Jahlil’s offensive game is the lack of prime post position he fails to establish on a consistent basis.

He is often too nonchalant when fighting for spot on the lock. Consequently, he usually receives the ball from 18 feet-and-out, as oppose to 13 feet-and-in — a more optimal area for a back-to-the-basket based player like Okafor.

In the Summer League, and even in college, Big Jah could simply crab dribble his way into prime position before going into his move. However, he is in for a rude awakening once the real games begin, as NBA teams will force an avalanche of live ball turnovers by shrinking the floor as soon as he puts the ball on the floor.

Such a problem will surely be exacerbated given the Sixers’ blatant lack of accomplished shooters.

Along the same vein, Okafor is at present a mediocre pick-and-roll big, at best, offensively. To be more specific, not once did he dive hard down the middle lane in Summer League after setting a screen. Alternatively, he floats aimlessly above the restricted area, or hoping to receive a pass while flaring out to the foul-line/elbow extended parts of floor.

If he is determined to be a pick-and-pop big, Jah will assuredly need to develop a reliable face-up 18 foot jumper. The enticing pump fakes he delivered during his Summer League stint won’t work so well when he isn’t facing overzealous D-Leaguers, hoping to make an impression on every other possession.

He did attempt a handful of Tim Duncan-like bank shots; and while none of them went in, the thought of developing a face-up J is a step in right direction.

The main thing is, save for the occasional offensive rebound and putback from time to time, Okafor does not enjoy any easy baskets. His field goal makes are aesthetically pleasing and adroit, but most of them are accomplished at an extremely high degree of difficulty.

If Big Jah can engender better post position and dive/seal hard off of short rolls against the weakside helper, Okafor’s scoring efficiency should skyrocket given his hands, footwork, and touch.

Defensively, as mentioned previously, he seems inherently slow to react to his help and recover responsibilities. At times, he can be exceptionally prompt with his initial help, only failing to recover back to his own man once the kick-out pass is made.

Other times, he gets too caught up in defending his own man, staying too attached on his primary assignment and ignoring all of his team-/help-oriented defensive duties.

In like manner, when dropping back on the pick-and-roll, Jah is often too concern on recovering back to his own man, and bails on his reasonability to pack the elbows hastily in anticipation to retreat back to the flaring opposing big, even if said big is an unproven scorer from 18-23 feet.

Outlook For Next Season

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Full disclosure, as someone who fell in love with NBA basketball in the 1990s, I’m cheering for Jahlil Okafor to succeed — I’m all-in for the resurrection of the post game.

While I love the way the modern-day game emphasizes ball and man movement, and the way present day 7-footers are capable of hitting crossover step-backs, a part of me sorely yearns for the classic center matchups that consumed the eras prior.

Simply put, David versus David is not nearly as captivating as David versus Goliath. The NBA — for all of its talent and versatility — lacks the vintage Goliath.

By all accounts, Okafor is the betting man’s favorite to win the Rookie of the Year. He will be entrusted with the offensive touches and shots needed to put up big numbers. The numbers he accumulates may not be efficient, and he will commit a high volume of turnovers considering his anticipated usage, but his anecdotal output will be good enough to mask his deficiencies.

Defensively next season, he will struggle. But having an omnipresent defensive cyborg like Noel tethered alongside him will ease his weaknesses on D.

At worst, Big Jah will be a 16-18 point, 7-8 rebound per game pivot during his prime.  Is he capable/willing to develop a face-up and turnaround J over his right shoulder? Bang and establish better post position? Dive hard and seal coming off of the roll? Such unresolved questions will determine whether his 20 points per game average will be earned efficiently or not.

Whether he can improve his rather undefined body and his conditioning — either through losing weight like Kevin Love/Tim Duncan or toning his body by adding muscle mass like Dwight Howard — will determine his prospects in evolving into a coveted two-way big.

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