Okafor or Towns? Which center is the better pick?

[RightToCensor]

Are you serious? Just like it stops Enes Kanter, Big Al, and Vucci Mane right?

Put Jahlil down for 31-33 minutes a night at least.

Nether those three started majority of their rookie season, let alone played 20 mpg.

Don't act like any of them were close to Jahlil offensively. That's why he's regarded as first and these people were barely lotto picks.

[DickGrayson]

Okafor doesn't display defensive potential.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugCbmikA_hE[/youtube]

he's 270lbs 6"11 but Gasol is massive at 7"1 and Gasol always displayed defensive prowess and ability to move his feet and have a feel for defense before he played in the NBA. Gasol averaged 6 blocks in high school. Okafor averaged around 2.

I addressed your whole post at first before deciding to delete it since it's mostly an opinion based argument (and I respect where you're coming from I've been on the Towns bandwagon even back when most had him as barely top 5). For now I'll focus on this.

First off did you watch the video? If you did the video showed pretty clearly that he had a lot of potential. He does things very right just not consistently (which can also be said about every young player ever). How about this one:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFa_Dax54w0[/youtube]

Also in high school IDK where you got those numbers (I'm guessing maxpreps which only has the numbers of the games they saw but they divide by his total games played - I mean they also said he averaged 10 ppg) but as a freshman he averaged 7/4 with 2 blocks, 25/13 with 6 blocks as a sophomore, 21/9 with 3 blocks as a junior, and 24/11 with 5 blocks a night (I rounded down too because he averaged 5.7 iirc but I can only officially say and find 5.3).

Marc Gasol did average 6 blocks a game as a senior just like Jahlil but remember he wasn't seen as good coming into the league. He might be 7-1 but they're still the same size when you take Jahlil's massive wingspan into account. We don't know Marc's standing reach but using Roy Hibbert (who is 7-2 in sneakers with a 7-4 wingspan) as a base he has a 9-3.5 standing reach. Jahlil has a 7-5 wingspan and a 9-2.5 standing reach. A one inch difference when Jahlil is way more mobile isn't that big a difference. Marc averaged 1 block per game in Europe (and in the league only 1.6) and here's what people thought of his defense back then:

However, Gasol's great statistical production doesn't always necessarily reflect a dominating performance on the floor. Indeed, it didn't in this Copa. He wasn't really a go-to guy for Girona on the offensive end (mainly because of Real Madrid’s double-teaming defense, that's true), but especially he doesn't make a great impact on the defensive end. His limited mobility gets exploited in pick-and-roll situations that the opponents throw at him; he's not a great intimidator, he allows smaller opponents to shoot over him; and given his superb size, he's not the best rebounder around.

Here's a scouting report from his rookie season:

Much of what we documented about Gasol during his European career has held true during his rookie season in the NBA. Given his lack of vertical explosiveness and lateral quickness, he actually creates a surprising number of defensive turnovers (1.0 STLPG, 1.5 BLKPG); however, he still struggles whenever forced to guard perimeter oriented big men or the pick-and-roll. When guarding ball screens, the Grizzlies seem to hedge most frequently, which often results in Gasol getting caught outside of the three point arc and failing to rotate successfully back to his man. Gasol must improve upon his conditioning to improve his lateral quickness and pick-and-roll defense to avoid becoming a defensive liability moving forward. If he fails in this department and/or the Grizzlies don't improve their interior defense this offseason by surrounding him with more talent, we can expect to see Memphis continue their defensive struggles through another season.

In instances where Gasol is defending the interior, he holds his ground well, although he rarely makes highlight-reel defensive stops. Since he's a step slow, he's a victim of quick-footed bigs possessing great wheel or seal moves which pin him on the backside of the offensive player. And although he'll never really be the type of intimidating, explosive defender the Grizzlies desperately need, Gasol still shows good fundamentals to counter the offensive skill sets of more talented NBA players and keep them out of the lane.

Help side defense is the area in which Gasol must improve his defensive game the most. As we previously wrote, he often allows smaller defenders to shoot over him and lacks lateral quickness - both of which usually equate to subpar defense. Gasol also tends to play lackadaisically off the ball, rarely knocking down cutters and looking to aggressively box out on when shots goo up. If he improves on his work ethic and hustle, we should see him develop into a respectable NBA defender - particularly if he increases his tenacity against more athletic players. Being a member of a struggling defensive system like Memphis' certainly hurts Gasol's numbers, but the addition of another interior presence this offseason should help the team's defensive play.

There's a reason why after seeing him as a rookie they took that scrub Hasheem Thabeet 2nd. Every criticism I'm hearing about Jahlil sounds like the stuff we heard about Marc Gasol until he was 26 years old and he fixed his conditioning and mastered positional defense. Now he's a former DPOY. Tell me the bolded doesn't sound familiar...

With all that, they gave Gasol a projection into being able to impact Memphis' defense. I haven't seen any scouting report that gives Okafor the benefit of a doubt defensively expect in that video you posted. where they share a weakness video that doesn't look too different from his potential video.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5W2FRzzb8i8[/youtube]

Okafor in both videos look like his feet are glued to the floor defensively. Even when he makes a stop, it's not timed. He gets by using his massive 7"6 wing span and his 9"3 reach. Okafor is a big boy and he has only shown to use his length to make stops. His timing is poor, but he can work on this and improve like most big men do in the NBA. I don't think Okafor is a finished product at all.

Gasol was still the more promising rookie than Okafor defensively, two different players.
He provided help defense and strong post defense, he shown flashes and his problems were a physical situation(conditioning, losing weight).
It wasn't a tendency, it wasn't an awareness issue or a feel for the game.
Okafor hasn't shown any tendency to be a tenacious defender on an inconsistent basis. Okafor just presents himself to be disinterested on the defensive end.

Defense: Has the length and strength to be effective on this end, but lacks the fundamentals and effort level to capitalize. Used to be extremely foul prone, but has learned to sacrifice points on the defensive end for the sole purpose of staying on the floor longer. Does a poor job defending the post, allowing defenders to back him down too often and outright giving up on plays. Will still fall for some fakes, but not as many as he used to. Fights for position, but not to the point that he could get called for a foul. Shows great timing and anticipation when contesting shots, but isn’t quite quick enough to be a major factor coming over from the weakside. Gets quite a few of his blocks on the ball. A liability when attempting to defend power forwards, which forces his team to play him as an undersized center. Needs to lose weight and improve his conditioning level to help in this regard. Struggles to hedge screens on the perimeter--doesn’t recover to his man very quickly. Is limited by the same characteristic when closing out shooters. Takes up too much space down low not to be a solid rebounder. Tremendous wingspan, hands and reflexes make him extremely productive on the glass. Has some tools defensively, but is still working to put them together on a more consistent basis.

From DraftExpress.com http://www.draftexpress.com#ixzz3TutiACri

Al Jefferson scouting report. Current Al Jefferson also, not rookie Al Jefferson.
Better comparison than young Marc Gasol, much more accurate for Okafor.

[djphan]

i don't know how you can compare gasol to okafor's situation... gasol was 330-340lbs in high school... it took him 7yrs to weight about as much ok4 does now..

if you want to compare ok4 to other fat people.. which i don't think he is... then you have to include guys like sweetney, traylor, sean may and oliver miller who never made it at all because they couldn't keep the weight off...

point being... the gasol and okafor comparisons are a little weak...

[Ruzious]

more size? Wallace was 6'11 just like Towns.
Also Sheed was much better as an athlete, quicker, with much better feet, Wallace was one of the all time great post defenders because of that, he moved so well with his feet, he had also an attitude I havent seen with Towns.

Wallace wasn't huge. When he was 20, he was measured at 6'9.75 without shoes and 230 lbs. Towns' last year measurements were 6'10.5 and 250 lbs. Hence, Towns is... a little bigger. Wallace and Towns were never super athletes. They're both good athletes. Towns can definitely play with an edge to him. I remember Sheed very well when he was at UNC - I'm an ACC guy. He was a crybaby back then. But he was very instinctual with an exceptional BBIQ. I see that (not the crybaby part) in Towns.

[Marcus]

This argument is going to be exactly like Wiggins-Parker last year. Higher ceiling-lower floor vs Lower Ceiling-Higher Floor.

What you think it will be next year?

Simmons v Brown or Rabb v Brown?

[E-Balla]

Okafor doesn't display defensive potential.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugCbmikA_hE[/youtube]

he's 270lbs 6"11 but Gasol is massive at 7"1 and Gasol always displayed defensive prowess and ability to move his feet and have a feel for defense before he played in the NBA. Gasol averaged 6 blocks in high school. Okafor averaged around 2.

I addressed your whole post at first before deciding to delete it since it's mostly an opinion based argument (and I respect where you're coming from I've been on the Towns bandwagon even back when most had him as barely top 5). For now I'll focus on this.

First off did you watch the video? If you did the video showed pretty clearly that he had a lot of potential. He does things very right just not consistently (which can also be said about every young player ever). How about this one:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFa_Dax54w0[/youtube]

Also in high school IDK where you got those numbers (I'm guessing maxpreps which only has the numbers of the games they saw but they divide by his total games played - I mean they also said he averaged 10 ppg) but as a freshman he averaged 7/4 with 2 blocks, 25/13 with 6 blocks as a sophomore, 21/9 with 3 blocks as a junior, and 24/11 with 5 blocks a night (I rounded down too because he averaged 5.7 iirc but I can only officially say and find 5.3).

Marc Gasol did average 6 blocks a game as a senior just like Jahlil but remember he wasn't seen as good coming into the league. He might be 7-1 but they're still the same size when you take Jahlil's massive wingspan into account. We don't know Marc's standing reach but using Roy Hibbert (who is 7-2 in sneakers with a 7-4 wingspan) as a base he has a 9-3.5 standing reach. Jahlil has a 7-5 wingspan and a 9-2.5 standing reach. A one inch difference when Jahlil is way more mobile isn't that big a difference. Marc averaged 1 block per game in Europe (and in the league only 1.6) and here's what people thought of his defense back then:

However, Gasol's great statistical production doesn't always necessarily reflect a dominating performance on the floor. Indeed, it didn't in this Copa. He wasn't really a go-to guy for Girona on the offensive end (mainly because of Real Madrid’s double-teaming defense, that's true), but especially he doesn't make a great impact on the defensive end. His limited mobility gets exploited in pick-and-roll situations that the opponents throw at him; he's not a great intimidator, he allows smaller opponents to shoot over him; and given his superb size, he's not the best rebounder around.

Here's a scouting report from his rookie season:

Much of what we documented about Gasol during his European career has held true during his rookie season in the NBA. Given his lack of vertical explosiveness and lateral quickness, he actually creates a surprising number of defensive turnovers (1.0 STLPG, 1.5 BLKPG); however, he still struggles whenever forced to guard perimeter oriented big men or the pick-and-roll. When guarding ball screens, the Grizzlies seem to hedge most frequently, which often results in Gasol getting caught outside of the three point arc and failing to rotate successfully back to his man. Gasol must improve upon his conditioning to improve his lateral quickness and pick-and-roll defense to avoid becoming a defensive liability moving forward. If he fails in this department and/or the Grizzlies don't improve their interior defense this offseason by surrounding him with more talent, we can expect to see Memphis continue their defensive struggles through another season.

In instances where Gasol is defending the interior, he holds his ground well, although he rarely makes highlight-reel defensive stops. Since he's a step slow, he's a victim of quick-footed bigs possessing great wheel or seal moves which pin him on the backside of the offensive player. And although he'll never really be the type of intimidating, explosive defender the Grizzlies desperately need, Gasol still shows good fundamentals to counter the offensive skill sets of more talented NBA players and keep them out of the lane.

Help side defense is the area in which Gasol must improve his defensive game the most. As we previously wrote, he often allows smaller defenders to shoot over him and lacks lateral quickness - both of which usually equate to subpar defense. Gasol also tends to play lackadaisically off the ball, rarely knocking down cutters and looking to aggressively box out on when shots goo up. If he improves on his work ethic and hustle, we should see him develop into a respectable NBA defender - particularly if he increases his tenacity against more athletic players. Being a member of a struggling defensive system like Memphis' certainly hurts Gasol's numbers, but the addition of another interior presence this offseason should help the team's defensive play.

There's a reason why after seeing him as a rookie they took that scrub Hasheem Thabeet 2nd. Every criticism I'm hearing about Jahlil sounds like the stuff we heard about Marc Gasol until he was 26 years old and he fixed his conditioning and mastered positional defense. Now he's a former DPOY. Tell me the bolded doesn't sound familiar...

With all that, they gave Gasol a projection into being able to impact Memphis' defense. I haven't seen any scouting report that gives Okafor the benefit of a doubt defensively expect in that video you posted. where they share a weakness video that doesn't look too different from his potential video.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5W2FRzzb8i8[/youtube]

Okafor in both videos look like his feet are glued to the floor defensively. Even when he makes a stop, it's not timed. He gets by using his massive 7"6 wing span and his 9"3 reach. Okafor is a big boy and he has only shown to use his length to make stops. His timing is poor, but he can work on this and improve like most big men do in the NBA. I don't think Okafor is a finished product at all.

Gasol was still the more promising rookie than Okafor defensively, two different players.
He provided help defense and strong post defense, he shown flashes and his problems were a physical situation(conditioning, losing weight).
It wasn't a tendency, it wasn't an awareness issue or a feel for the game.
Okafor hasn't shown any tendency to be a tenacious defender on an inconsistent basis. Okafor just presents himself to be disinterested on the defensive end.

Defense: Has the length and strength to be effective on this end, but lacks the fundamentals and effort level to capitalize. Used to be extremely foul prone, but has learned to sacrifice points on the defensive end for the sole purpose of staying on the floor longer. Does a poor job defending the post, allowing defenders to back him down too often and outright giving up on plays. Will still fall for some fakes, but not as many as he used to. Fights for position, but not to the point that he could get called for a foul. Shows great timing and anticipation when contesting shots, but isn’t quite quick enough to be a major factor coming over from the weakside. Gets quite a few of his blocks on the ball. A liability when attempting to defend power forwards, which forces his team to play him as an undersized center. Needs to lose weight and improve his conditioning level to help in this regard. Struggles to hedge screens on the perimeter--doesn’t recover to his man very quickly. Is limited by the same characteristic when closing out shooters. Takes up too much space down low not to be a solid rebounder. Tremendous wingspan, hands and reflexes make him extremely productive on the glass. Has some tools defensively, but is still working to put them together on a more consistent basis.

From DraftExpress.com http://www.draftexpress.com#ixzz3TutiACri

Al Jefferson scouting report. Current Al Jefferson also, not rookie Al Jefferson.
Better comparison than young Marc Gasol, much more accurate for Okafor.

This doesn't sound like Jahlil at all. I haven't heard 99% of those negatives said about Jahlil. He was never foul prone, defends in the post well, doesn't fall for fakes often, and he isn't undersized.

[theonlyclutch]

Out of the two, I believe that Towns is likely the better pick, with a game that is more translatable to the modern "pace & space" era of the NBA.

The thing with Okafor is, while he puts up gaudy offensive numbers on great efficiency as a focal point of Duke, his lackluster defense is way too alarming for me, because, in the modern NBA, centers normally have the most impact and responsibility on the team defense. If some team is going to pick him with the #1 pick, they are going to have to pair him up with someone who can do rim protection as a PF, without clogging the paint for Okafor, in the NBA right now, there is Serge Ibaka, and..... who else? That's not even beginning to mention how low post based offenses are easier to stop in the NBA, and that the big men at the NBA level are much more physically capable slowing down Okafor than the NCAA.

Towns, on the other hand, is someone who seems to be a great (albeit foul-prone) rim protector, and is mobile enough to cover stuff like PnRs well, a primary initiation of offense for the NBA, he is also a good shooter (~80% FT shooting) and can hit mid-range jumpshots. Yes, his back-to-the-basket game may be a tad raw, but that won't kill you as a NBA big men these days, plus it's also learn-able, while history has proven that defense awareness is more difficult to learn. His problem is that he hasn't proven himself as an offensive focal point due to Kentucky's system, something which he would need to do to justify the #1 pick.

To be honest IMO, both Towns and Okafor possess too much flaws for me to justify a #1 pick, if I get a #1 pick as a team GM, I would rather trade downwards and try to get a spread of lottery + later first round picks, and get something like WCS+Kaminsky/Portis+ idk..Dakari Johnson? For a more complete big man lineup, with both defense & offense from both inside & outside.

[MotownMadness]

more size? Wallace was 6'11 just like Towns.
Also Sheed was much better as an athlete, quicker, with much better feet, Wallace was one of the all time great post defenders because of that, he moved so well with his feet, he had also an attitude I havent seen with Towns.

Wallace wasn't huge. When he was 20, he was measured at 6'9.75 without shoes and 230 lbs. Towns' last year measurements were 6'10.5 and 250 lbs. Hence, Towns is... a little bigger. Wallace and Towns were never super athletes. They're both good athletes. Towns can definitely play with an edge to him. I remember Sheed very well when he was at UNC - I'm an ACC guy. He was a crybaby back then. But he was very instinctual with an exceptional BBIQ. I see that (not the crybaby part) in Towns.

I've thought about Sheed a few times watching Towns play. I can see some comparison between the two. I don't know if he will end up as good as Sheed at the next level or not.

[doordoor123]

I remember an old Gordon vs Randle prospect page last time and it went on forever. Glad I was able to bring that debate back with current centers.

[noobcake]

Knocking on the defense of 270 lb 6'11" 19 year old....? He is physically more dominant than Towns. His reach and wingspan are even larger than Towns. He has plenty of power and explosiveness (check out his rare power dunks this year) but chooses to not use them due to his arsenal of developed post moves. In a vacuum, his post moves are already top 5 in the NBA. I think he can eventually grow into his body and follow the trajectory of Marc Gasol, whose primary defensive talent comes from positioning and suffocating his opponent with his size.

My biggest problem with Okafor is not if he is a better prospect than Towns, it is if his game and skill set is suitable for the 2015 NBA. Outside of Cousins, whose post game is not nearly as developed as Okafor's, there aren't any dominant centers in the game. Centers are no longer the focal point of an offense. Okafor's future team will eventually have to play like Yao era Rockets. I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not.

Towns is a far better shooter right now. He plays the modern garbage-man center role very well. Kinda like a Bogut meets DeAndre.

I frankly don't think Towns is good enough to be that #1 pick. I'm not sold on Mudiay. I question the role of a back to the post center in 2015. Russell for #1?

[Dan Z]

If the team that drafts them already have a center could Okafor or Towns play the PF position?

[Notanoob]

If the team that drafts them already have a center could Okafor or Towns play the PF position?

I doubt it personally. I don't think KAT is that fast defensively.

Honestly, I don't think KAT is that good defensively period. Georgia was getting everything they wanted in the paint once they drew out WCS. I think the fact that WCS is covering him makes him look better than he is on defense.

[Dan Z]

If the team that drafts them already have a center could Okafor or Towns play the PF position?

I doubt it personally. I don't think KAT is that fast defensively.

Honestly, I don't think KAT is that good defensively period. Georgia was getting everything they wanted in the paint once they drew out WCS. I think the fact that WCS is covering him makes him look better than he is on defense.

Thank you. Not that a team would really want to play them at PF, but I was curious.

[Notanoob]

If the team that drafts them already have a center could Okafor or Towns play the PF position?

I doubt it personally. I don't think KAT is that fast defensively.

Honestly, I don't think KAT is that good defensively period. Georgia was getting everything they wanted in the paint once they drew out WCS. I think the fact that WCS is covering him makes him look better than he is on defense.

Thank you. Not that a team would really want to play them at PF, but I was curious.

A number of people would disagree with me on Towns, but I don't think that anybody thinks that Okafor can play PF really. He's a center through and through.

[djphan]

ok4 projects much like a PF since he is a liability protecting the paint... guys like that almost always get paired with big men who can because that's the foundation to a good defense...

kanter in okc is a good example... he's a center but you can't play him there because your team gets killed on defense...

[DickGrayson]

If the team that drafts them already have a center could Okafor or Towns play the PF position?

I doubt it personally. I don't think KAT is that fast defensively.

Honestly, I don't think KAT is that good defensively period. Georgia was getting everything they wanted in the paint once they drew out WCS. I think the fact that WCS is covering him makes him look better than he is on defense.

Is Nick Collison fast? Hell was even Kurt Thomas fast back in the day? Towns is much faster foot speed and agility wise and he's large also. Towns would guard PF/C at great strength in the NBA. If you don't think Towns is good defensively, then you might as well give up following the 2015 NBA draft with that blasphemy.

Knocking on the defense of 270 lb 6'11" 19 year old....? He is physically more dominant than Towns. His reach and wingspan are even larger than Towns. He has plenty of power and explosiveness (check out his rare power dunks this year) but chooses to not use them due to his arsenal of developed post moves. In a vacuum, his post moves are already top 5 in the NBA. I think he can eventually grow into his body and follow the trajectory of Marc Gasol, whose primary defensive talent comes from positioning and suffocating his opponent with his size.

My biggest problem with Okafor is not if he is a better prospect than Towns, it is if his game and skill set is suitable for the 2015 NBA. Outside of Cousins, whose post game is not nearly as developed as Okafor's, there aren't any dominant centers in the game. Centers are no longer the focal point of an offense. Okafor's future team will eventually have to play like Yao era Rockets. I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not.

Towns is a far better shooter right now. He plays the modern garbage-man center role very well. Kinda like a Bogut meets DeAndre.

I frankly don't think Towns is good enough to be that #1 pick. I'm not sold on Mudiay. I question the role of a back to the post center in 2015. Russell for #1?

OKafor shows no defensive bone in his body.

Karl Towns is the more overall dominant basketball player.
Superior rebounder.
Superior passer.
Superior rim protector.
Superior post defender
Superior pick and roll defender.
Superior shooter

Give me the more dominant overall player over the one dimensional guy.

Gasol always shown defensive potential as a prospect and does more than positioning and suffocating his opponent with his "size." Gasol is extremely aware on defense, acts like an NFL linebacker calling out plays and is a leader defensively. Okafor hasn't shown any glimpse of this. Gasol is also much larger than Okafor.

You make a good point about Towns being a vocal point of an offense, but we'll see how things work out. Right now Anthony Davis and Cousins are the top scoring young bigs in this league, I believe Okafor will be right there with them, not as overall player, but scoring the ball.

[dolphinatik]

I see alot of Chris Webber in Okafors game. Right now he is showing way more than Town but I just have a feeling Towns is the better pick. Maybe its the stoic demeanor I dunno what it is but Big Kat has something about him that makes me think he can exceed the potential of Okafor. The fact that he talks to an imaginary friend on the court sometimes is scary but interesting at the same time. Just the little crazy u need.

[Dcebucks11]

If the team that drafts them already have a center could Okafor or Towns play the PF position?

I doubt it personally. I don't think KAT is that fast defensively.

Honestly, I don't think KAT is that good defensively period. Georgia was getting everything they wanted in the paint once they drew out WCS. I think the fact that WCS is covering him makes him look better than he is on defense.

Is Nick Collison fast? Hell was even Kurt Thomas fast back in the day? Towns is much faster foot speed and agility wise and he's large also. Towns would guard PF/C at great strength in the NBA. If you don't think Towns is good defensively, then you might as well give up following the 2015 NBA draft with that blasphemy.

Knocking on the defense of 270 lb 6'11" 19 year old....? He is physically more dominant than Towns. His reach and wingspan are even larger than Towns. He has plenty of power and explosiveness (check out his rare power dunks this year) but chooses to not use them due to his arsenal of developed post moves. In a vacuum, his post moves are already top 5 in the NBA. I think he can eventually grow into his body and follow the trajectory of Marc Gasol, whose primary defensive talent comes from positioning and suffocating his opponent with his size.

My biggest problem with Okafor is not if he is a better prospect than Towns, it is if his game and skill set is suitable for the 2015 NBA. Outside of Cousins, whose post game is not nearly as developed as Okafor's, there aren't any dominant centers in the game. Centers are no longer the focal point of an offense. Okafor's future team will eventually have to play like Yao era Rockets. I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not.

Towns is a far better shooter right now. He plays the modern garbage-man center role very well. Kinda like a Bogut meets DeAndre.

I frankly don't think Towns is good enough to be that #1 pick. I'm not sold on Mudiay. I question the role of a back to the post center in 2015. Russell for #1?

OKafor shows no defensive bone in his body.

Karl Towns is the more overall dominant basketball player.
Superior rebounder.
Superior passer.
Superior rim protector.
Superior post defender
Superior pick and roll defender.
Superior shooter

Give me the more dominant overall player over the one dimensional guy.

Gasol always shown defensive potential as a prospect and does more than positioning and suffocating his opponent with his "size." Gasol is extremely aware on defense, acts like an NFL linebacker calling out plays and is a leader defensively. Okafor hasn't shown any glimpse of this. Gasol is also much larger than Okafor.

You make a good point about Towns being a vocal point of an offense, but we'll see how things work out. Right now Anthony Davis and Cousins are the top scoring young bigs in this league, I believe Okafor will be right there with them, not as overall player, but scoring the ball.

i like towns but his offense is not even close to okafors level right now. defensively hes much better yes.

[DickGrayson]

I doubt it personally. I don't think KAT is that fast defensively.

Honestly, I don't think KAT is that good defensively period. Georgia was getting everything they wanted in the paint once they drew out WCS. I think the fact that WCS is covering him makes him look better than he is on defense.

Is Nick Collison fast? Hell was even Kurt Thomas fast back in the day? Towns is much faster foot speed and agility wise and he's large also. Towns would guard PF/C at great strength in the NBA. If you don't think Towns is good defensively, then you might as well give up following the 2015 NBA draft with that blasphemy.

Knocking on the defense of 270 lb 6'11" 19 year old....? He is physically more dominant than Towns. His reach and wingspan are even larger than Towns. He has plenty of power and explosiveness (check out his rare power dunks this year) but chooses to not use them due to his arsenal of developed post moves. In a vacuum, his post moves are already top 5 in the NBA. I think he can eventually grow into his body and follow the trajectory of Marc Gasol, whose primary defensive talent comes from positioning and suffocating his opponent with his size.

My biggest problem with Okafor is not if he is a better prospect than Towns, it is if his game and skill set is suitable for the 2015 NBA. Outside of Cousins, whose post game is not nearly as developed as Okafor's, there aren't any dominant centers in the game. Centers are no longer the focal point of an offense. Okafor's future team will eventually have to play like Yao era Rockets. I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not.

Towns is a far better shooter right now. He plays the modern garbage-man center role very well. Kinda like a Bogut meets DeAndre.

I frankly don't think Towns is good enough to be that #1 pick. I'm not sold on Mudiay. I question the role of a back to the post center in 2015. Russell for #1?

OKafor shows no defensive bone in his body.

Karl Towns is the more overall dominant basketball player.
Superior rebounder.
Superior passer.
Superior rim protector.
Superior post defender
Superior pick and roll defender.
Superior shooter

Give me the more dominant overall player over the one dimensional guy.

Gasol always shown defensive potential as a prospect and does more than positioning and suffocating his opponent with his "size." Gasol is extremely aware on defense, acts like an NFL linebacker calling out plays and is a leader defensively. Okafor hasn't shown any glimpse of this. Gasol is also much larger than Okafor.

You make a good point about Towns being a vocal point of an offense, but we'll see how things work out. Right now Anthony Davis and Cousins are the top scoring young bigs in this league, I believe Okafor will be right there with them, not as overall player, but scoring the ball.

i like towns but his offense is not even close to okafors level right now. defensively hes much better yes.

Towns is a better passer and shooter than Okafor. Okafor has him inside scoring, which is a skill that Okafor stands alone in.

[E-Balla]

I see alot of Chris Webber in Okafors game. Right now he is showing way more than Town but I just have a feeling Towns is the better pick. Maybe its the stoic demeanor I dunno what it is but Big Kat has something about him that makes me think he can exceed the potential of Okafor. The fact that he talks to an imaginary friend on the court sometimes is scary but interesting at the same time. Just the little crazy u need.

Towns stoic? You must be watching WCS because Towns is the exact opposite of stoic he's very emotional. I personally like players to show some fire (part of the reason I think I like the top 3 of this draft more than the top 2 picks of last draft - both of whom were stoic).