Philadelphia 76ers: 5 goals for Jahlil Okafor in 2017-18
By Simon Smith
4. Increase rebounding rate
For starters, Okafor clearly has the physical attributes to at be at least an above-average rebounder.
At 6’11” and 275 pounds, and possessing a 7’5″ wingspan, there is no reason Okafor shouldn’t be able to gobble up the ball off the glass at a highly proficient rate. But after two seasons in the league, the numbers say otherwise.
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On a per-36 minute basis last season, Okafor averaged 7.6 rebounds per game. On the Sixers’ roster alone, this number ranked fifth among those who played at least 30 games for the year in Philadelphia.
In fact, among all centers who played at least 45 games, Okafor ranked 65th. However, these numbers should come as no surprise.
Coming out of college, despite his prestigious offensive talents, Okafor’s presence on the boards left a lot to be desired. The following is an excerpt of his college scouting report from the highly reputable Draft Express, who have now joined ranks with ESPN:
"“He’s also not a very good defensive rebounder, posting just 6.5 per-40 minutes, one of the worst rates among big men in our Top-100. He looks somewhat lethargic here too, often standing and watching rather than putting a body on an opponent, and being a bit slow to react to loose balls coming off the glass.”"
Taking all this account, this is certainly an area of Okafor’s game that will be interesting to monitor this upcoming season.