Photo Credit: Brooklyn Nets
The NBA’s Odd Man Out, No Team Wants Jahlil Okafor
When Okafor was drafted third overall in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, he was supposed to be a key part of ‘the process’.
Then, after a promising rookie season where he averaged 17.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, Jahlil Okafor more and more became the odd man out on the 76ers. It was like he’s never really arrived in Philly and his playing time dwindled by the week.
Many thought that these days were over when he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets. Unfortunately for him, this didn’t work out either. Jah barley played and when he played, he wasn’t able to impress.
This lead to him becoming an unwanted unrestricted free-agent this summer. No team wants him, not one team is even willing to take a chance on him. He still is only 22 years old! Less than three years ago he was seen as one of the biggest big man talents in the NBA.
Okafor was meant to save the traditional big man. The NBA has definitely taken on a new identity and direction especially in recent years. Every season the league seems to be getting smaller and play at a much faster pace. The term “small ball” has never been more in effect. The recent Championship won by the Golden State Warriors are a prime example and evidence that going small aided them tremendously when they were struggling to get their rhythm and pace. Small ball was firstly introduced during the Magic Johnson “Showtime Lakers”, when they went small on occasion, mainly due to the versatility of Magic Johnson with his size and skillset. However, nowadays it’s a common theme. Teams will usually have a small ball line up that they will not hesitate to turn to if they need some pace or spark especially offensively. Thus, highlights the changing face of our league.
Although this may be a sign of change and growth, for some, it’s a sad reality that the game has turned away from the traditional dominant big man down low. Gone are the days of bigs winning MVPs and being franchise centrepieces. Some feel the days of dumping the ball into a big man in the post and letting them go to work, as well as crashing the boards, blocking shots and patrolling the paint were slowly fading.
But instead of reviving the traditional big man style, Okafor has become outdated. He doesn’t stretch the floor, has limited range and is pretty bad on defense. Did someone say China?
