Jahlil Okafor, New Orleans Pelicans
It seems like most fans think Jahlil Okafor was a bust from day one. In fact, during his rookie season, he was exactly the type of player he was advertised to be.
In his first year he averaged 17.5 points on 50.8 percent shooting, showed an array of effective post moves and made the All-Rookie First Team. His biggest strength in college, scoring in the paint, carried over and helped him to a very solid season on a very bad team.
Unfortunately, his biggest weaknesses followed him to the NBA too. He was a below-average rebounder (7.0 per game in 30.0 minutes), struggled to defend one-on-one or protect the rim, and showed little to no shooting range outside of the paint.
As his career has progressed, the weaknesses have outweighed the strengths. That’s why a promising rookie year moved into a disappointing sophomore year, a trade to Brooklyn in 2017, and no new contract from the Nets this offseason.
While he barely played during his brief stint in Brooklyn, his scoring prowess was still visible. With a very small sample size, he averaged 18.2 points per 36 minutes and shot 56.6 percent from the field.
His well known limitations, however, are what kept him off the court with the Brooklyn Nets, and what will likely do the same in New Orleans next season. In the modern NBA, spacing is key – big men who can shoot from the perimeter hold at least some value no matter what.
Larry Fleisher, a contributor for Forbes, might have put it best in an article published last month:
"Last season, 10 centers attempted at least 200 3-pointers. Jahlil Okafor was nowhere near to being one of them, and his game does not appear to fit the modern NBA."
It’s that, among other things, that makes him a curious fit with the New Orleans Pelicans. With Anthony Davis as their centrepiece, the one thing they need is more spacing, and a post player like Okafor brings the exact opposite.
To make matters worse, the New Orleans rotation is already flush with big men. Nikola Mirotic will start alongside Davis, and Julius Randle will be the first man off the bench. Combinations of those three should make up the majority of the minutes at the four and five spots, as there will always be at least one semi-proficient shooter on the floor.
It’s hard enough to see Okafor seeing the court and succeeding on any team, let alone one with such an established pecking order already at his position. This certainly feels like Okafor’s last chance, and if that’s the case he could be out of the league sooner rather than later.