Jahlil Okafor
His game is so advanced. Great footwork, use of fakes, knows how to feel where his defender is, has counters for his counter moves, can use both hands, turn over either shoulder, soft touch, knows how to pass out of doubles. Nice looking form on his jumper too.
Not sure if he's 6'11, looks a little shorter than that, but with his wingspan (~7'3) he's still C size in this era.
He's way more advanced offensively than defensively though. He's not the quickest guy. Maybe he doesn't look to challenge shots as much to avoid foul trouble. Strong rebound instincts though.
Reminds me a bit of Al Jefferson, but Jahlil is more advanced at this stage in terms of awareness and passing the ball out of doubles.
Anybody know how tall this kid really is? No bs... Maybe you've seen him play or something. I feel like it's a big difference between a 6'8 guy with his skill set and a 6'11 guy with that same skill set as far as pro potential goes. At 6'11 you don't need extreme athleticism to be a great big man but an undersized power forward that is slow is a completely different story...
I've read reports that he's actually 6'9'' which is not good for a center. Imo I've seen prospects similar to him before who haven't panned out. Anyone remember Semardo Samuels? That's who I see in Okafor, unless Okafor is actually 6'11'' by the time he gets to the league. remember, Samuels was the #2 prospect in his class but didn't have the height or athleticism to dominate on the college or pro level. Okafor is a beast in high school because of his strength and skill level, but once he gets into the NBA he wont have those same advantages. How he measures out will be extremely important in determining his pro potential
Okafor has a much better feel for the game and better post moves. Samardo just kinda overwhelmed kids in HS.
As far as his height, I think the 6'10 number is legit. I've seen him live a couple of times but didn't have a good reference point since he wasn't matched up with any real Div 1 bigs. He looked like he had an inch and a half on Cliff Alexander and Cliff is really around 6'8 with a huge wingspan. The center position is mostly about mass, frame and body strength now. He has all 3 of those for the C position.
I like the guy and hope he ends up at duke but there's now way he's 6'11. He looks more 6'9. And I've only seen him play a few times so idk much about his skill set but defensively I liked what I saw. On offense he looked like more of someone who benefits from being bigger than everyone. But like I said I only saw him play a couple times
Doctors recently said he could grow to 7'2 or 7'3 for what it's worth.
Also it's a done deal that him and Tyus Jones will be going to the same college together. That means if Duke, MSU, OSU, or Kansas gets one of them, they can get both of them.
I left out UK because I think Mudiay and Cliff Alexander are more likely to pop for Calipari first.
You guys are overrating height like hell. Like if he is 6'9, he has no potential. If he's 6'10, he's going to be okay. If he's 6'11, he's going to be amazing. KG has been listed at like 6'10-6'11 his whole career and he's like 7'2. More than height, length and wingspan (Okafor has both) are just as important. If he is 6'9, but can stay in front of, contest, and block shots of guys 2-3 inches taller than him, it won't matter. I have watched him play live and he definitely has all the tools to be a dominant big man as the OP noted. And I don't think size will be an issue at all.
Let's see. Prying a top player in his class already indoctrinated in Team USA's system to join another country's program that he has little connection to or affinity for? I could maybe understand if he was just a marginal player or was playing in a country without a prestigious nat'l basketball program, but that isn't the case.
This is a no brainer for Jahlil.
All I can say about this guy is WOW!!!! He is really gonna bring back the 90s age of big man. I have not seen a center prospect like him in a long while, and he has a year left of hs ball. He has true center size at 6-11 270 pounds, and a great skill set to go with it. He has an extremely advanced post game and footwork, and he even has a reliable jumper for a center. He is a great rebounder and is an underrated defender. I would like to see his conditioning get a little better because it would help make his defense better. He is truly an intriguing prospect because his game embodys true 90s centers. Thoughts?