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Redrafting the 2015 NBA Draft: Role players everywhere

By Corey Rausch

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 25: A displays the first 30 picks at the end of the First Round of the 2015 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 25, 2015 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 25: A displays the first 30 picks at the end of the First Round of the 2015 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 25, 2015 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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NBA (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
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#22 Pick: Jahlil Okafor (Originally: Bobby Portis)

This is where the slide ends for the former number three overall pick. With the Bulls original selection already off the board taking a chance on the hometown kid with unlimited potential (at least we thought so at the time) is an interesting fit.

Had Tom Thibodeau still been in charge I would have been more hesitant to make this pick given his general disdain for playing rookies. Fred Hoiberg, for all his faults, is better suited for that and this would have given him a blue-chip prospect to work with.

Related Story. Miami Heat: Ranking the last 10 first-round picks. light

Okafor was most successful in his rookie season when he was given plenty of minutes for a team looking to lose a lot of games. Often times these kinds of numbers can be misleading but 17.5 points and 7.0 rebounds as a 20-year old is still worth a look. He was never going to be Embiid or be able to play with Embiid, which saw his minutes plummet as well as his production.

Admittedly Okafor may be an archetype from a bygone era but he has a place in this league and makes more sense to me than paying Pau Gasol at his advanced age to be an All-Star on a fringe playoff team. Not having Bobby Portis on the team may have prevented ruining Nikola Mirotic’s time in Chicago for obvious reasons so taking out the potential culture issues is doubly effective for the Bulls.

With the 23rd pick in the 2015 NBA Redraft the Brooklyn Nets select…

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