Okafor or Towns? Which center is the better pick?

[Marcus]

I think some people have unrealistic expectations for these guys. You're not going to get players that are on Lebron's, Duncan's, and Davis's level every time you get the number 1 pick.

i think this is something that seems to get forgotten very VERY often.

[djphan]

there is a duncan type prospect staring everyone in the face right now actually...

[DickGrayson]

there is a duncan type prospect staring everyone in the face right now actually...

Karlitoooo

[Hachmabash]

I do admit I havent seen him play enough, only one game and highlist, but I still maintain doubts about him being able to not be a major negative when to comes to speed department. He is somewhere around the half-court line when others are already setting up the offence, and in NBA, this problem will be magnified. That is why guys like Drummond, Jordan, Sanders, Howard as percieved as good quality NBA centers. Of course, there is Jefferson and Pekovic, but dont tell me their teams dont have mighty defensive trouble because of them. Cousins is half the way I would say. In todays NBA, the game is just soo fast.
On the other hand, we have Towns, who is quick, just as long, and has a nice arsenal of skills on his own, and way more diverse one for that matter. There is no doubt in my mind that any forward thinking GM should pick him before Okafor.
I have no doubt that Okafor will get his in the NBA, and will produce numbers. But its hard when you are a bad defender at a position that is most important for defence.

[No-Man]

Seriously, people are overlooking some limitations within Towns physique that are obnoxious obnoxiously obvious.
He is a great project and a great kid who deserves to go top3-5, but he is not in the conversation with prospects like Duncan.
We have gone all over this many times so I won't bother repeating the point sbecause they have been made before, but it is getting ridiculous.
IT seems that either people are not watching games, or they just believe whatever the media or others that got it wrong have been spouting.
And after a few months, apparently, everyone tend to believe that KAT is an elite defensive big prospect, when by far, not by a small margin, by far, his most appealing attribute is his offensive versatility.

[djphan]

why don't you educate the masses.... and please post evidence... i would really love to hear something insightful for once...

[BoutPractice]

Another intriguing thing about Towns is that we've already seen him perform against the current best players in the NBA... and this as early as the age of 16.

He wasn't fantastic by any means, but it's still interesting that we have footage of him going up against Anthony Davis, blocking shots by Russell Westbrook etc.

[richboy]

Seriously, people are overlooking some limitations within Towns physique that are obnoxious obnoxiously obvious.
He is a great project and a great kid who deserves to go top3-5, but he is not in the conversation with prospects like Duncan.
We have gone all over this many times so I won't bother repeating the point sbecause they have been made before, but it is getting ridiculous.
IT seems that either people are not watching games, or they just believe whatever the media or others that got it wrong have been spouting.
And after a few months, apparently, everyone tend to believe that KAT is an elite defensive big prospect, when by far, not by a small margin, by far, his most appealing attribute is his offensive versatility.

I'm not going to compare him to Tim Duncan. IMO the greatest draft pick in sports history. Nobody expects 18 years of elite play with any draft pick. Still freshman Tim Duncan didn't look like Tim Duncan when he was ready to go pro. He was 9 points per game player. People knew he was good but we started talking about an all-time great prospect by his Junior year.

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

Now my concern on Towns as being a franchise player or maybe a better word a franchise changer is defensively. I think he should be a solid defensive player. Duncan look like potentially Hakeem on defense as well. Towns is still so young it is tough to measure what he could be on defense. Right now I think WCS is so special defensively he might be making towns look better defensively than he is. What separates Tim Duncan from Pau Gasol or Lemarcus Aldridge is on the defensive end.

[DickGrayson]

Seriously, people are overlooking some limitations within Towns physique that are obnoxious obnoxiously obvious.
He is a great project and a great kid who deserves to go top3-5, but he is not in the conversation with prospects like Duncan.
We have gone all over this many times so I won't bother repeating the point sbecause they have been made before, but it is getting ridiculous.
IT seems that either people are not watching games, or they just believe whatever the media or others that got it wrong have been spouting.
And after a few months, apparently, everyone tend to believe that KAT is an elite defensive big prospect, when by far, not by a small margin, by far, his most appealing attribute is his offensive versatility.

You've been proven wrong pretty much since Sept about Towns. I think you'll be more wrong when Sept comes again....and again....and again....

[DickGrayson]

Seriously, people are overlooking some limitations within Towns physique that are obnoxious obnoxiously obvious.
He is a great project and a great kid who deserves to go top3-5, but he is not in the conversation with prospects like Duncan.
We have gone all over this many times so I won't bother repeating the point sbecause they have been made before, but it is getting ridiculous.
IT seems that either people are not watching games, or they just believe whatever the media or others that got it wrong have been spouting.
And after a few months, apparently, everyone tend to believe that KAT is an elite defensive big prospect, when by far, not by a small margin, by far, his most appealing attribute is his offensive versatility.

I'm not going to compare him to Tim Duncan. IMO the greatest draft pick in sports history. Nobody expects 18 years of elite play with any draft pick. Still freshman Tim Duncan didn't look like Tim Duncan when he was ready to go pro. He was 9 points per game player. People knew he was good but we started talking about an all-time great prospect by his Junior year.

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

Now my concern on Towns as being a franchise player or maybe a better word a franchise changer is defensively. I think he should be a solid defensive player. Duncan look like potentially Hakeem on defense as well. Towns is still so young it is tough to measure what he could be on defense. Right now I think WCS is so special defensively he might be making towns look better defensively than he is. What separates Tim Duncan from Pau Gasol or Lemarcus Aldridge is on the defensive end.

Yes. WCS is the top defender in this draft.
The thing is, freshman WCS wasn't close to the defender Towns is right now. When WCS was a freshman and sophomore, Kentucky wasn't even a top 50 Defensive team. I think WCS and Towns just make each other better, WCS is better now because of experience. Towns has huge potential on defense and won't be a slouch.

We seen Duncan elevate his game from his freshman to junior year, same with WCS. Big men need experience. With experience, we don't know how good Towns will be. He will definitely develop into a different tier and elevate his attributes because I believe he has a high ceiling.

[Ettorefm]

This 'Okafor is Al jefferson' comparison is absolutely ridiculous, shows that people read scouting reports in january and just go with the pre-conceived,lazy opinion of scouts instead of watching the games
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Or even worse, they watch the games with the notion that he's = al jefferson, and by a simple confirmation bias fallacy start only paying attention to the similarities.
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Okafor is 6'11, will grow to 7'0 for sure. His wingspan and standing reach are bigger than Jefferson. He has ALL the tools to be a decent defender in the NBA, probably not elite. Jefferson is 6'9 1/2 and almost 20 pounds heavier than Jah
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He's so big and has such a great BBIQ that it's pretty clear he'll develop defensive skills. His problems are inexperience, lack of defensive coaching and specially conditioning. He looks like a recent retired NBa player, wh ostill has it but we all know he needs 2 or 3 months of intensive treadmill work to get in shape, that's why he's sometimes late.
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Not to mention his back problems, which have been a big problem for him, limiting his speed and vertical quickness.
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Okafor doesn't need a Ibaka-type player for his team's defense to be average, that's absurd and ridiculous. Okafor is closer to Cousins than Jefferson. Cousins is not an elite defender, but he has all the tools, the size, the wingspan...he'll never be elite, Marc Gasol-like. But he's pretty good, and is not a net negative on defense at all.

[No-Man]

Okafor looks bad now because he is been injured and with his physique it takes more time to get into tip toe shape, before that he was in great shape, he can always improve though.
Agreed with the rest.
Okafor has more potential defensively than Cousins I'd say.

[Justwar]

Cousin's can board and pass on a elite level, also run the break as a passer. Okafor won't ever get a triple double mark that. Okafor in the nba is a 22 8 guy. Towns can match the offense and get 10 rebounds two blocks.

[Worm Guts]

He might be better in other ways, but I'll be surprised if Towns matches Okafor's scoring.

[Zombiesonics]

I'm pretty sure cousins would go number 1 in this draft (well sans the 'toxic attitude' chatter) The thing with okafor, is he isn't explosive. He wouldn't be able to operate the way boogie does on the post, at UK boogie was a man vs boys. Don't really see that with okafor, i see a highly skilled mobile 6'11 dude who kinda runs like kevin love and scores around the rim on high usage like kanter (but those two had better shooting mechanics). Don't see this 'monster upside'. I think the number 1 pick is still dicey, could be a number of these guys. gm's should consider trading down if the right offer comes

[No-Man]

Cousin's can board and pass on a elite level, also run the break as a passer. Okafor won't ever get a triple double mark that. Okafor in the nba is a 22 8 guy. Towns can match the offense and get 10 rebounds two blocks.

Okafor is an elite passer from the block, and he is a terrific rebounder as well, he plays in a team with a lot of good rebounders.
Okafor skills are mad for a Center, the only guy I´ve seen as fluid and technic is Hakeem, and Okafor has his own set of moves and style, you see what Kyrie can do that sets him apart? well, Okafor has the same but if you translate it into big men scenario.
Towns is a really nice big, with diversity of skills and who will fit a lot of settings, but he is not and will never be THE man for a big time team, Okafor has the potential to be that guy.
That is why Okafor is clearly the 1st overall pick.
I will be surprise if Towns ever average more than 18-20ppg, I can easily several seasons of Okafor over 22ppg.

[No-Man]

I'm pretty sure cousins would go number 1 in this draft (well sans the 'toxic attitude' chatter) The thing with okafor, is he isn't explosive. He wouldn't be able to operate the way boogie does on the post, at UK boogie was a man vs boys. Don't really see that with okafor, i see a highly skilled mobile 6'11 dude who kinda runs like kevin love and scores around the rim on high usage like kanter (but those two had better shooting mechanics). Don't see this 'monster upside'. I think the number 1 pick is still dicey, could be a number of these guys. gm's should consider trading down if the right offer comes

It took Cousins 4 years to start playing like a man in the NBA and attack the basket instead of just setting for jumpers.
Cousins played in a running team where he got many easy buckets due to playing with two terrific playmakers, that team was loaded.
Okafor has much more technique and moves than Cousins did, he is much more developed as a big man, and I´d say his moves a re superior to current Cousins.
Demarcus is a bit more explosive and mobile, but Okafor is really fluid, you have to see how he creates,he doesn't bully opponents, or use his size advantage only, he has mad skills.

[Zombiesonics]

I'm pretty sure cousins would go number 1 in this draft (well sans the 'toxic attitude' chatter) The thing with okafor, is he isn't explosive. He wouldn't be able to operate the way boogie does on the post, at UK boogie was a man vs boys. Don't really see that with okafor, i see a highly skilled mobile 6'11 dude who kinda runs like kevin love and scores around the rim on high usage like kanter (but those two had better shooting mechanics). Don't see this 'monster upside'. I think the number 1 pick is still dicey, could be a number of these guys. gm's should consider trading down if the right offer comes

It took Cousins 4 years to start playing like a man in the NBA and attack the basket instead of just setting for jumpers.
Cousins played in a running team where he got many easy buckets due to playing with two terrific playmakers, that team was loaded.
Okafor has much more technique and moves than Cousins did, he is much more developed as a big man, and I´d say his moves a re superior to current Cousins.
Demarcus is a bit more explosive and mobile, but Okafor is really fluid, you have to see how he creates,he doesn't bully opponents, or use his size advantage only, he has mad skills.

on point, however. i would argue the 'explosiveness + mobility' cousins displayed is what allowed him to feast on nba HELP defenses. A lot of these post ups okafor is getting are vs the one or two 7 footers on the opposing team, in the nba I believe the help defense might be an issue for okafor to be a HIGH LEVEL SCORER. he can still be productive, just not seeing the franchise changer in him.

[BoutPractice]

Watching Okafor right now... first of all, he's an incredibly fun, unique player for a big. His footwork,idiosyncratic moves, and the old school way he palms the ball make you want to root for him.

He has amazing offensive reflexes, touch etc.. But at the same time, I stand by the remark that a lot of his moves and offensive quirks are more predictable than most assume and whether they translate is a question mark. For example, he often goes baseline with no clear idea what he'll do next. Then there's still the issue of the left hand - he basically refuses to use it even when he should. The fluidity sort of hides the fact that he has very clear, predetermined preferences in terms of which move he'll do. Very quickly you start seeing patterns, and you can guess with good accuracy what his next move will be... And so the question becomes: will NBA scouting neutralize his current playing style, and if so can he adapt?

The good news is the bank shot looks promising. And with his form he could actually become a good midrange shooter.

[EMG518]

I have never seen any of Duncan in college. Just watched some of that game from his freshman year(Thanks for posting it btw). He would have went 1-1 right now as a freshman. Wouldnt even be a debate.