This topic contains 27 replies, has 18 voices, and was last updated by AvatarAvatar Siggy 11 years ago.

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  • #754367
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    PaulsJayhawks
    Participant

    BEAST PERIOD.

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  • #47205
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    jwostrum
    Participant

    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?

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  • #754370
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    Siggy
    Participant

    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.

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  • #754374
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    BigChamp12
    Participant

    I havent seen him play that much… But I read he thinks he could play in the NBA right now. Do you guys think he could as well?

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    • #754385
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      Siggy
      Participant

      Like get meaningful minutes right now? Probably not. He’d be a liability defensively and he’s not used to going at players his size night in night out. He’d need to improve his conditioning too.

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  • #754379
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    Hi its Ben
    Participant

    I’m hoping he goes to Michigan State. I know Izzo is recruiting him hard.

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  • #754377
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    jwostrum
    Participant

    He would not be a star now in the nba, but he could definatly make an impact on a team with a weak center.

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  • #754386
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    Malik-Universal
    Participant

    whens the last time Michigan state had a really good post player? paul davis?

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  • #754395
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    i’m jus so offended
    Participant

    Draymond Green?

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  • #754396
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    Hi its Ben
    Participant

    Draymond Green or Zach Randolph if you wanna talk about elite.

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  • #754398
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    JordanC20
    Participant

    What a front court UK would have with him at center and Towns at PF…scary

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  • #754404
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    hoopscop
    Participant

    Footwork and hands for a guy of his size are exquisite, he will be very good for sure, maybe great. Probably forming with Tyus Jones and Justise Winslow the No1 class at Duke.

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  • #754409
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    mavsatx
    Participant

    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…

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    • #754412
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      Dlesnie
      Participant

      No lie I came here to ask the same thing. I keep finding conflicting reports on his size, his hoopshype mixtape from this year says he’s only 6’9″ but a ton of people keep mentioning him being 6’11”.

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  • #754422
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    Ghost01
    Participant

    He faced Jabari Parker in the state playoffs last Friday and was clearly a few inches taller than him.

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  • #754420
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    jwostrum
    Participant

    going by quotes in articles. people who are around him a lot say he is 6-11 or 7-0. the lebron james camp in 2011 listed him at 6-10 in shoes, so i can only assume he has grown a little since then.

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  • #754427
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    ASAP Henry
    Participant

    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

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    • #754429
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      Siggy
      Participant

      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.

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    • #754430
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      Ghost01
      Participant

      If you see Samardo Samuels in Jahlil Okafor….well, I was going to say you have only watched a couple highlights clips of him by damn that still doesn’t make any sense. They litterally have no similarities.

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  • #754467
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    IknoBall12
    Participant

    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

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  • #754477
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    sameolG
    Participant

    For some reason I see this kid going to Duke

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  • #754483
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    AwardedBaller
    Participant

    Ballislife has him at 6’11, HomeTeamHoops has him at 6’10, ESPN has him at 6’9, Scout has him at 6’9 and Rivals and Wikipedia have him at 6’10, so I guess it’s for you to decide unless he posts a Trey Burke type photo.

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  • #754499
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    akhan786
    Participant

    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.

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  • #754542
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    Ghost01
    Participant

    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.

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  • #754590
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    Rotela
    Participant

    Recruiting him hard for the Nigerian team, he came to Nigeria about two years ago, I think he’s about 6’10, but definitely needs to work on his conditioning

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    • #754593
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      Siggy
      Participant

      He’s already in the Team USA system so good luck with that.

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  • #754647
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    Rotela
    Participant

    Hakeem was also in the Nigerian system

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    • #754695
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      Siggy
      Participant

      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.

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