The New Orleans Pelicans seem to have a more focused version of Jahlil Okafor this season. He recently sat down with Portland Trail Blazers star CJ McCollum and talked about improving two aspects of his game: defense and rebounding.
The once highly touted prospect out of Duke University talked about improving his two weaknesses as he joined McCollum's Pull Up podcast.
“The knock on me has always been my defense and my rebounding,” said Okafor. “I let the coaches know that I’m aware of that… They know that I’m 150% bought into doing whatever it takes to win. I think I’ve taken the necessary steps this summer just to become a better defender, a better rebounder.”
The third overall pick of the 2015 NBA Draft has drawn a lot of criticisms in his three-year career so far. The 6-foot-11 big man actually showed a lot of promise in his rookie season when he posted averages of 17.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game with the Philadelphia 76ers.
But after things went downhill from there, the Sixers traded him to the Brooklyn Nets last season. He struggled to earn minutes with the team, though, especially because of his defensive issues.
Kyle Wagner of FiveThirtyEight talked about Okafor being a one-talent sensation during his second season in the league.
“Okafor came into the NBA as one of its finest low-post prospects in years. But a season and a half into his career, Okafor grades out poorly by RPM, as he does in the acronym-jumble of other advanced metrics that try to distill a player’s impact into one stat. What those composite stats are hinting at, and what’s obvious to many onlookers, is that underneath that scoring, there isn’t much to Okafor’s game.”
After losing DeMarcus Cousins to free agency this offseason, the Pelicans needed another presence down low, and they're taking a chance on Okafor. They just hope that the 22-year-old will improve, especially on the defensive end.
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