Projected to be one of the top picks in the upcoming NBA Draft, Duke center Jahlil Okafor worked out for the Lakers at their practice facility in El Segundo on June 9. The ACC Player of the Year met with the media following his session. Below is a full transcription:
Q: On working out for the Lakers in a solo setting:
Okafor: That’s what I do every day. I’m always working out with my individual training, working on my skill set and both sides of the ball. So it’s pretty normal for me.
Q: On whether he can see himself playing for the Lakers:
Okafor: Without a doubt. I can definitely see myself here in L.A. … Just the tradition. I’m coming from Duke University, (and) we had the winningest coach in college basketball (Mike Krzyzewski). And that entire atmosphere was about winning. That’s what the Lakers organization is about, and that’s something that I want to be a part of.
Q: On winning at the high school and college levels:
Okafor: I’ve always won. I’ve won the state championship, national championship, all that stuff. I would love the opportunity to come here and win an NBA championship.
Q: On whether it would be worth it to come to the Lakers if it meant not being the No. 1 pick:
Okafor: It’s not up to me. … Being the No. 1 pick isn’t that important to me. I think that’s more so for the fan base. I just want to be in the right position with the team that wants me.
Q: On the Lakers’ history of dominant big men:
Okafor: I was very familiar with the big men that were here. Shaquille O’Neal was my favorite growing up, and then Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar) is the all-time leading scorer. So I would love to be here and have the opportunity to learn from all those guys. That would definitely be to my advantage.
Q: On what he takes away from his knowledge of the Lakers’ past big men:
Okafor: Just how dominant they were, and they were all about winning. And when they came here, they won. So if I did (come to the Lakers), I’d have to step into some big shoes, but I’m ready.
Q: On whether he has indicated to Minnesota that he would rather play for the Lakers:
Okafor: No, I haven’t. I haven’t spoken with Minnesota. I’m speaking with them sometime this week. … I haven’t said anything like that.
Q: On his defense being the main criticism about him:
Okafor: I hear the criticism, but we won the national championship at Duke, so it wasn’t that bad. And Coach K was fine with the way I played defense, but I’m getting better every day.
Q: On his poor free throw shooting:
Okafor: That was obvious that I was missing free throws. That’s also something I’ve been working on. It was mostly mental. We lost a game to Notre Dame, and that was because of my free throw shooting. From there it went downhill. But I’ve been working the entire summer on it, and I feel confident in it.
Q: On the amount of pride he takes in improving his free throw shooting:
Okafor: I take pride in just improving my entire game, but obviously that was something that I wasn’t happy about this year. So I’ve been doing that every day.
Q: On how he feels he would fit with Julius Randle on the Lakers:
Okafor: I’m happy to see him back here. He was working out when I walked in the gym. But I think we’d do well together. He’s a great athlete, and he’s very versatile, so I think me and him would really be great. … He’s very talented, so I’m sure (the coaches) would come up with something.
Q: On his dinner with the basketball operations staff on the previous night:
Okafor: I enjoyed it a lot. It was a lot of fun sitting down with all those guys. Tonight I’m going to dinner with the coaches, so I’m excited for that.
Q: On his mid-range shots:
Okafor: I’m just improving all aspects of my game, and that’s one of them. But I’m confident when I’m on the floor with everything that I can do.
Q: On if he sees himself as chiefly a post-up player:
Okafor: That’s who I am. That’s my bread and butter. But I can definitely do some other things.
Q: On his potential to be a 3-point shooter:
Okafor: That’s something that I can do, but I know what my bread and butter is, and that’s down in the post.
Q: On how he views the Lakers as a whole:
Okafor: When I first thought about the NBA, I first thought about the Lakers. They have a winning tradition: 11 championships (in Los Angeles). That’s what I want to be a part of.
Q: On how much space he anticipates having on offense in the NBA:
Okafor: Talking with people in the NBA and even guys around the NBA, I think there’ll be a lot more space. I really don’t know because I haven’t been in the position yet, but from what I’ve seen I think I’ve got a lot more space to operate. I won’t be double-teamed as much, and I’ll probably be surrounded by some really good shooters. So that’ll also be to my benefit because I can pass.
Q: On when he says that he “plays with wings on”:
Okafor: My wings, that’s my mother who passed. Before every game I talk to her and that just gives me a sense of confidence every game I go into.
Q: On potentially playing with Kobe Bryant:
Okafor: I would like to talk to him, just pick his brain; just learn so much from him. He’s obviously one of the greatest to ever do it, if not the greatest. So being able to come over here and talk to him and learn from him in practice, that would be awesome.
Q: On what he would want to learn from Bryant:
Okafor: A lot of it would be mentally. People always talk about how he can miss two or three shots and he’s fine. He knows he’ll make the next one. Sometimes I get down on myself, so if I get the opportunity to see what’s going through his head when he misses, that’ll definitely benefit me.
Q: On whether it feels different to work out with the Lakers rather than other teams:
Okafor: This is the first. I haven’t worked out with any other team. This is the first time putting an NBA (shirt) on my body. So it was definitely awesome.
Q: On whether he has a workout scheduled with Minnesota:
Okafor: My agent can tell you. We’re still talking about that, but it’s coming up soon.
Q: On focusing on himself instead of comparing himself to Karl-Anthony Towns:
Okafor: I don’t want to say why I should be picked over somebody. I just say why I should be picked for any team. That’s because I want to win and I’m a winner. I would just love to be in a position to win. I’ve just never been the type of guy to say, “You should pick me over him.” That’s just not who I am.
Q: On whether he feels the Lakers are trying to get to know who he is as a person:
Okafor: Definitely. They’ve seen me out on the court probably since throughout all of high school and this year at Duke. So we’re just getting a feel for one another; talking a lot, chatting. It was mostly just getting a feel for one another. … Some basic (questions): “How do I think I can help the Lakers?” “Do I want to be here?” Things like that nature.
Q: On whether he feels his game matches the style that the NBA currently plays:
Okafor: I still think big men run the game. When you have a dominant big man, that changes the aspects of the game. You can even see that now. You see the Golden State big men and the Cleveland big men doing big things for their team.
Q: On the city of Los Angeles:
Okafor: I’ve been staying in Santa Barbara working out. That’s where I’ve been since I left college. It’s been like two hours from here, so I’ve been here a couple times with my family. It’s just been a lot of fun. I enjoy being in L.A.
Q: On whether he feels if he can transform a team into a winner:
Okafor: Not by myself — not on this level at least, coming right in. But that’s why we have Kobe Bryant here: somebody I can learn from. But I want to be a part of that.
Q: On whether he feels like he is prepared for the pressure that would come with being drafted by the Lakers:
Okafor: Definitely. That’s what I’ve always been about. I went to Whitney Young High School, which is one of the best high schools. I didn’t want to go to any school but Duke: the best of the best. That’s the same standard I’m holding myself to right now. Being here part of the Lakers (with) fans that want to win — that’s what I want.
Q: On what stood out to him in his workout:
Okafor: Nothing new. It was just great getting a feel for the guys that I’ll probably be working with if I did come here. They worked me hard today. As you can see, I’m sweating. It was a lot of fun.
Q: On whether he is in the best shape of his life:
Okafor: It’s close. I was in really good shape going into Duke, then as the season progressed I got injured and lost some of the shape because I wasn’t able to practice as much. But I’m getting there. I haven’t lost too much weight, because I’ve added some muscle. So my weight is about the same. It just looks a little different.
Q: On whether Krzyzewski ever told him stories from his time coaching Bryant on the U.S. National Team:
Okafor: He always shared stories about all the guys. Kobe was one of them — just how hard he works. He told me one crazy drill he does is make 10 shots in a row in each spot, and he won’t leave until that’s accomplished. So that shows a lot of patience. That’s something mentally that I’d like to talk to him about.
Q: On being able to mesh with Bryant’s demanding mentality:
Okafor: That’s what I’d like to ask him. My guess would be to just believe in yourself, but that’s easier said than done. So that’s what I’d like to talk to him about. … He wants to win, and hopefully if I come here, he’ll be super hard on me. I’ve seen the video of him in practice. I love it and I’m ready for that.
Q: On how he feels about the perceived comparison between him and Towns:
Okafor: I don’t think too much about it. That’s what people do: They criticize, and I’ve gotten a lot of criticism. But he’s obviously a great player. He’s definitely deserving to be the No. 1 pick.
Q: On how much effort he and Duke put into keeping him out of foul trouble:
Okafor: That was definitely something that me and the coaches talked about: not getting into foul trouble. I did that earlier in the season, and I had a conversation with the coaches to try to not get into foul trouble and not pick up many dumb fouls. That was definitely part of our scheme.
Q: On whether that affected the way he was able to play defense:
Okafor: I don’t know. In high school, we played a different scheme. I defended pick-and-rolls and all of that. Then college was a whole other ballgame, of course. I was happy with the way we did it. We won the national championship, and everything we did worked.
Q: On whether he could handle the spotlight in Los Angeles:
Okafor: I would like to think that. I’ve never been in anything of this (magnitude) with being in Los Angeles with Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and even people off the basketball court who are big-time celebrities. I’d like to think I can handle that.
Q: On whether he agrees with those who say he can already average 20 points in the NBA:
Okafor: I would like to believe that. I’m very confident on the offensive floor. I feel like I can score when there’s one guy guarding me. That’s not too farfetched in my imagination.
Q: On what goals he sets heading into the NBA:
Okafor: I won at every single level, and that was my goal. Especially being here in “Lakerland,” I’ve been walking around and a lot of Laker fans told me they want me here and want to win. I love it. That’s exactly how Duke was. We were coming off of a first-round loss, so we were kind of low. I’m kind of walking into the same situation.