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Utley
02-21-2017, 10:41 PM
I though this was a great read. I hope it's ok to post like this. Mods take down if somehow out of bounds.

By Jessica Camerato | CSNPhilly.com
Feb 21, 2017, 3:00 PM EST
Jahlil Okafor's Duke network helping him through up-and-down season

Jahlil Okafor's second season in the NBA has been one of learning, marked by injuries, trade talks and DNPs. Throughout these shifting uncertainties, he's had a constant foundation: his fellow Duke players.

"It's a brotherhood," Okafor said. "We're all friends, we're all a family."

...

"He always knows I'm one phone call away no matter what," Kyrie Irving said.

...

"It's bigger than basketball," Okafor said.

Duke76
02-21-2017, 10:48 PM
a simple thank you for this post Utley

Faison1
02-21-2017, 10:50 PM
Thanks for sharing...good read. I really wish Jah would get traded to a team who could use him. I also wish he would've stayed in college another year to work on his D.

Troublemaker
02-21-2017, 10:58 PM
Link (http://www.csnphilly.com/philadelphia-76ers/jahlil-okafors-duke-network-helping-him-through-and-down-season)

duke4ever19
02-21-2017, 11:03 PM
I live in the Philly suburbs and the sports radio guys are pretty hard on Okafor. Once philly fans turn on you, it gets bad.

Okafor has deficiencies (poor defense and his plus/minus is epically bad), but to listen to the philly talking-heads, you would assume he's a finished product and will never get any better. Once Embiid got healthy, they turned on both Okafor and Noel like rabid dogs. Strange sports town. I refuse to believe that Okafor can't improve on the defensive end and snag a few more rebounds.

He needs a change of scenery and it looks like he's about to get it.

BD80
02-22-2017, 08:13 AM
I though this was a great read. I hope it's ok to post like this. Mods take down if somehow out of bounds.

By Jessica Camerato | CSNPhilly.com
Feb 21, 2017, 3:00 PM EST
Jahlil Okafor's Duke network helping him through up-and-down season

Jahlil Okafor's second season in the NBA has been one of learning, marked by injuries, trade talks and DNPs. Throughout these shifting uncertainties, he's had a constant foundation: his fellow Duke players.

"It's a brotherhood," Okafor said. "We're all friends, we're all a family."

...

"He always knows I'm one phone call away no matter what," Kyrie Irving said.

...

"It's bigger than basketball," Okafor said.

Or a semaphore message, or morse code via signal lamp - no curvature of the earth to get in the way ...

CameronBlue
02-22-2017, 08:57 AM
Or a semaphore message, or morse code via signal lamp - no curvature of the earth to get in the way ...

ooohhh sick burn (isn't that what the kids say?), but why then, can Sarah Palin see Russia from her house?

Turk
02-22-2017, 12:17 PM
I live in the Philly suburbs and the sports radio guys are pretty hard on Okafor. Once philly fans turn on you, it gets bad.

Okafor has deficiencies (poor defense and his plus/minus is epically bad), but to listen to the philly talking-heads, you would assume he's a finished product and will never get any better. Once Embiid got healthy, they turned on both Okafor and Noel like rabid dogs. Strange sports town. I refuse to believe that Okafor can't improve on the defensive end and snag a few more rebounds.

He needs a change of scenery and it looks like he's about to get it.

Philly sports talk radio is a poor barometer of sanity (even worse than DBR after a Duke loss)!
My spin is a bit different - they can't keep three centers, and if you rank them, Jah is #3 right now, that's all.
Everyone knows that, so now it's the perception of what is "fair" return in trade. Some in Philly are ready to settle for a bag of practice balls. I'm thinking they should be able to get a lottery protected #1 and a future #2 if they take back some bad expiring contracts in return. I'd be OK with that, even more if Jah lands in a good place.

yancem
02-22-2017, 01:03 PM
Philly sports talk radio is a poor barometer of sanity (even worse than DBR after a Duke loss)!
My spin is a bit different - they can't keep three centers, and if you rank them, Jah is #3 right now, that's all.
Everyone knows that, so now it's the perception of what is "fair" return in trade. Some in Philly are ready to settle for a bag of practice balls. I'm thinking they should be able to get a lottery protected #1 and a future #2 if they take back some bad expiring contracts in return. I'd be OK with that, even more if Jah lands in a good place.

I'm fine with them trading him for a used piece of gum as long as they trade him!!! The problem is that Philly probably is concerned that they will get hammered if they trade him for nothing and he goes on to be a star. Oak has the talent to be an all star if he gets in the right situation and truly works on his defense. It's tough to trade a top 3 pick and not get something in return. I just hope that they don't hold out for unreasonable terms to magically appear. The longer they wait the lower his value becomes.

Skydog
02-22-2017, 01:19 PM
I live in the Philly suburbs and the sports radio guys are pretty hard on Okafor. Once philly fans turn on you, it gets bad.

Okafor has deficiencies (poor defense and his plus/minus is epically bad), but to listen to the philly talking-heads, you would assume he's a finished product and will never get any better. Once Embiid got healthy, they turned on both Okafor and Noel like rabid dogs. Strange sports town. I refuse to believe that Okafor can't improve on the defensive end and snag a few more rebounds.

He needs a change of scenery and it looks like he's about to get it.

It's not just Philly sports people. It's pretty clear that at this point he is good at post ups but the rest of his game is very poor. Poor defense, really poor rebounding, and lack of a midrange shot are all quantifiable. Fivethirtyeight.com did an article about it - https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/does-jahlil-okafor-have-a-place-in-todays-nba/ . But like you, the article doesn't rule out him improving in these areas.

I too hope he gets traded to a team that can help him round out his game.

Btw, when one of your main problem is your lack of defense maybe Kyrie isn't the best person to call? :)

duke4ever19
02-22-2017, 02:01 PM
It's not just Philly sports people. It's pretty clear that at this point he is good at post ups but the rest of his game is very poor. Poor defense, really poor rebounding, and lack of a midrange shot are all quantifiable. Fivethirtyeight.com did an article about it - https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/does-jahlil-okafor-have-a-place-in-todays-nba/ . But like you, the article doesn't rule out him improving in these areas.

I too hope he gets traded to a team that can help him round out his game.

Btw, when one of your main problem is your lack of defense maybe Kyrie isn't the best person to call? :)

Hahah yeah, those calls between Kyrie and Okafor should be monitored.

I completely agree on his deficiencies. They are well-documented. I still believe that the people putting a lid on his potential are going to be surprised. His offensive post game is already superb and I think he needs a good big man mentor to teach him up on the defensive end. Remember, he was drafted by Philly who is extremely young in the post, and one of the big men, Embiid, didn't even see the floor till recently.

I saw Okafor dominate Karl Anthony Towns twice last season when Philly was featuring Okafor as their starting big man and I don't think there's any reason he can't succeed after putting in more work on D. BTW Towns also strangely has an atrocious plus/minus.

Ichabod Drain
02-22-2017, 02:20 PM
Hahah yeah, those calls between Kyrie and Okafor should be monitored.

I completely agree on his deficiencies. They are well-documented. I still believe that the people putting a lid on his potential are going to be surprised. His offensive post game is already superb and I think he needs a good big man mentor to teach him up on the defensive end. Remember, he was drafted by Philly who is extremely young in the post, and one of the big men, Embiid, didn't even see the floor till recently.

I saw Okafor dominate Karl Anthony Towns twice last season when Philly was featuring Okafor as their starting big man and I don't think there's any reason he can't succeed after putting in more work on D. BTW Towns also strangely has an atrocious plus/minus.

It's because Towns is actually pretty bad on defense... as a lot of young big men are. People see the block highlights and his physical tools and just assume he's a good defensive player. He's not. I'm confident he will be very good one day but it will take time. I am also confident Jah will be serviceable defensively in the future, he doesn't have the ceiling Towns has but he will get better for sure.

luvdahops
02-22-2017, 02:44 PM
It's because Towns is actually pretty bad on defense... as a lot of young big men are. People see the block highlights and his physical tools and just assume he's a good defensive player. He's not. I'm confident he will be very good one day but it will take time. I am also confident Jah will be serviceable defensively in the future, he doesn't have the ceiling Towns has but he will get better for sure.

One other factor in Jah's more choppy second year is the death of Sean Rooks last summer. A former Arizona and NBA big man, Rooks was a Sixers assistant last season, and devoted much of his attention to working with Jah. When I saw the Sixers play the Bulls in December 2015, the two of them were out on the court an hour or so before tip-off, working on a variety of post moves and face-up shots, as well as passes out of the low post. Rooks had been interviewing with other teams, notably the Knicks, after the season, so there is no guarantee he would have been back in Philly had he not passed away. Either way, I have to believe his mentoring is sorely missed by Okafor.