2015 NBA Draft: Post Lottery Draft Top-10 Big Board

Apr 6, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Duke Blue Devils center Jahlil Okafor (15) drives to the basket defended by Wisconsin Badgers forward Frank Kaminsky (44) during the first half in the 2015 NCAA Men

2. Jahlil Okafor, PF, Duke

Okafor, who came into last season as the No. 1 pick on most preseason mock drafts, did very little to dissuade anyone from believing that he should be.

As a prospect, Okafor may not have the tantalizing potential the Towns or a couple of other prospects possess, but what he lacks in potential, Okafor makes up for with surefire skill. The 6’11” center already has a deep understanding of low-post play, as he knows when and how to pass out of double teams, as well as resort to a myriad of Duncan-esque post moves to muscle or finesse his way past defenders.

While Okafor is a precocious player, he is not free of any deficiencies. Although he has proven to be advanced on the block, Okafor is confounded when he arrives at the free throw line, where he converted only 51 percent of his attempts. In addition to his porous free throw shooting, he also struggles covering pick and rolls on the defensive end, where teams with more mobile centers will exploit his below average foot speed. Furthermore, he has spells of disinterest on defense, where he will lose track of his man and lazily swipe at anyone coming into the paint, resulting in “cheap” fouls.

Even though his defensive lapses are an issue, those are still problems that can be solved with good coaching and conditioning, which is why Okafor is considered a low risk-high reward prospect. Moving forward, Okafor might not pan out to be the defensive force that Towns or Willie Cauley-Stein, but his size, basketball IQ and fundamentals are too much to slip past the top-5 picks.

Next: Emmanuel Mudiay