Okafor or Towns? Which center is the better pick?

[Ettorefm]

I'm being totally unfair right now, but to the Jah critics...he delivers when needed. Duke will end up champions and he'll win the final four MVP

Where is towns when needed? (I'm just joking, come on)
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EDIT: Damn, KAT turnover...it just gets funnier

[RSCD3_]

I'm being totally unfair right now, but to the Jah critics...he delivers when needed. Duke will end up champions and he'll win the final four MVP

Where is towns when needed? (I'm just joking, come on)
.
EDIT: Damn, KAT turnover...it just gets funnier

His guards were looking Norris cole in the NBA bad at getting him the ball and decide to chuck for no reason

[PICKnPOP]

I agree with the poster who said that jahs moves are predictable, but that's to be expected from a kid his age. He's out there playing checkers and most of his moves are improvised which is what makes him such an amazing prospect. The fact that he has all of these post moves at his disposal makes it obvious how good he will be once he gets to the NBA and learns how to use them.

This is when he learns to play chess.

Once he decides what his go to move is going to be he can work on counters. That's when the kid will be unstoppable.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM Forums

[Ettorefm]

His guards were looking Norris cole in the NBA bad at getting him the ball and decide to chuck for no reason

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I know, I was just joking. KAT is amazing and will be an All Star, but as a guy who watches the new prospects every year more than I should , it has become kinda of a battle for the #1 spot and it's difficult not to take sides in informal discussions

As a guy who is more on the Okafor side, it's kinda funny to see the 'would they beat the knicks?' kentucky team lose like this with KAT playing just ok and turning the ball over in a critical moment, and Jah dominating and taking Duke to the championship game
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Also, I don't feel Okafor is that predictable, it's the exact opposite. The definition of predictable is Towns' post game. He only posts up from the right side, he dribbles the ball twice, uses his elbow (which sometimes is a clear offensive foul) and tries a right handed hook. He does it 9/10 times, no counters.

Okafor has many flaws at this stage, specially his free throw shooting, conditioning, pick'n'roll defense and other stuff. But to say his moves are predictable makes no sense. It's the NCAA, nobody has moves yet. To see a guy who has pump fakes, up and unders, running hooks, drop steps from either side, and specially a face-up game with a nice spin move to finish is anything but predictable

It's still a little slow, but I think he'll get quicker with time.
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I have to agree that he still didn't develop/select his go-to move and the main counters, that is true, but as said above, he's young...go to moves take time

[BoutPractice]

Speaking as a post player who loves breaking down opponents, what I mean when I say he's predictable is that if you force him to use his left hand, he'll still use his right... and if you cut off the baseline, he'll instinctively want to get back there as soon as he can. Those probably won't fly in the NBA. Right now when he has to do an unnatural move for him he'll force the issue and do it his way even though it's impractical. In the NBA those will either be very low percentage shots, or they'll be blocked...

The worst scenario for him is having to do a left handed running hook towards the key. If you can force him to do that and prevent his trademark spin back towards his right hand, he's neutralized. That's for the right block. On the left block the way you stop him is to get him stuck baseline.

I think he has all the talent to be a 20+ppg scorer in the league, but he shouldn't rest on his laurels and assume that just because his post game is more advanced than other bigs his age (which it is obviously, no one denies that, and no one denies specifically that it's much more advanced than Towns' at this point), he won't still need to change the way he does things on the offensive end significantly. Sometimes it's the danger when you develop too early... you stop evolving because you've always been ahead of everyone else.

Still think he'll get there. I'm more underwhelmed by his rebounding (got a lot of boards stolen last night) and defense (although the wingspan remains his wild card if he decides to care).

[richboy]

Okafor has multiple issues that limit his potential. The main being defense. IMO bigs value is driven by defense. Modern basketball does not love post play. The post players that modern basketball does like are ones that get to the free throw line and make there free throws. Maybe he will be a guy that can do that but without defense he still has limited potential as a big man.

I don't mind the Demarcus Cousins comparisons but I don't think he is as talented as Cousins. People can say what they want but great defensive bigs impact the defensive end in a big way. The Kings are 27th in deefense with Cousins as the anchor. 23rd last year. 29th the year before. At what point do we say Cousins can't anchor a defense. I know some advanced stats like Cousins but defensive rebounding can go along way with those numbers. As a rim protector the Kings need another big next to him if they will ever be good.

Even more so if Okafor is Cousins on offense how good is that? He has a 104 offensive rating. He has one of the highest usage rates for a big in league history. His 25 PER is great but Rudy Gobert is giving 22 PER on 14% usage and showing great impact on defense. Why exactly would I be running to take a less talented Demarcus Cousins. IMO less talented Demarcus Cousins is Al Jefferson or Enes Kanter. Okafor looks like another big that will put up stats but people spend there career asking why they aren't winning more. I wouldn't take him first or second. More like 4th or 5th in my book.

[nybluemeadow]

Okafor is one of the most talented low post prospects since Shaq, but the game has changed so much that, that skill set is no longer as valuable in the NBA.

An 18ft jump shot and defense seem to be a more important skill set for NBA big men now a days, and those are two areas were Towns surpasses Okafor.

Demarcus Cousins is a good example of a great post player now that can put up good number but has no affect in getting wins for his team, and that is the biggest worry about Okafor.

Towns on the other hand, with his skill and size, could be a rich man's Al Horford or Pau or Marc Gasol. All three of which night in and night out help their teams get wins.

[DickGrayson]

I'm being totally unfair right now, but to the Jah critics...he delivers when needed. Duke will end up champions and he'll win the final four MVP

Where is towns when needed? (I'm just joking, come on)
.
EDIT: Damn, KAT turnover...it just gets funnier

But he didn't.....hold this L.

[DickGrayson]

Okafor has multiple issues that limit his potential. The main being defense. IMO bigs value is driven by defense. Modern basketball does not love post play. The post players that modern basketball does like are ones that get to the free throw line and make there free throws. Maybe he will be a guy that can do that but without defense he still has limited potential as a big man.

I don't mind the Demarcus Cousins comparisons but I don't think he is as talented as Cousins. People can say what they want but great defensive bigs impact the defensive end in a big way. The Kings are 27th in deefense with Cousins as the anchor. 23rd last year. 29th the year before. At what point do we say Cousins can't anchor a defense. I know some advanced stats like Cousins but defensive rebounding can go along way with those numbers. As a rim protector the Kings need another big next to him if they will ever be good.

Even more so if Okafor is Cousins on offense how good is that? He has a 104 offensive rating. He has one of the highest usage rates for a big in league history. His 25 PER is great but Rudy Gobert is giving 22 PER on 14% usage and showing great impact on defense. Why exactly would I be running to take a less talented Demarcus Cousins. IMO less talented Demarcus Cousins is Al Jefferson or Enes Kanter. Okafor looks like another big that will put up stats but people spend there career asking why they aren't winning more. I wouldn't take him first or second. More like 4th or 5th in my book.

I agree 200%. You couldn't have written this any better.

I value players more like Grobert and Giannis than beast like Cousins and Parker.


I see Okafor as a better offensive version of Jefferson but he will struggle at the rebounding department. Okafor seems to get lazy on the boards, thats alarming.

[SparksFly87]

Okafor is one of the most talented low post prospects since Shaq, but the game has changed so much that, that skill set is no longer as valuable in the NBA.

An 18ft jump shot and defense seem to be a more important skill set for NBA big men now a days, and those are two areas were Towns surpasses Okafor.

Demarcus Cousins is a good example of a great post player now that can put up good number but has no affect in getting wins for his team, and that is the biggest worry about Okafor.

Towns on the other hand, with his skill and size, could be a rich man's Al Horford or Pau or Marc Gasol. All three of which night in and night out help their teams get wins.

Nerlens Noel has higher upside than Karl Towns .

[DickGrayson]

Okafor is one of the most talented low post prospects since Shaq, but the game has changed so much that, that skill set is no longer as valuable in the NBA.

An 18ft jump shot and defense seem to be a more important skill set for NBA big men now a days, and those are two areas were Towns surpasses Okafor.

Demarcus Cousins is a good example of a great post player now that can put up good number but has no affect in getting wins for his team, and that is the biggest worry about Okafor.

Towns on the other hand, with his skill and size, could be a rich man's Al Horford or Pau or Marc Gasol. All three of which night in and night out help their teams get wins.

Nerlens Noel has higher upside than Karl Towns .

Towns is already better than Noel offensively by far. Superior rebounder as well. Noel is a D specialist who is an undersized in terms of bulk C and is injury prone.

TOWNS can grow to 7"1" 270 lbs and just be a force offensively and defensively. High upside on both ends.

[No-Man]

If Towns ever get to be 270 he will break and retire like Bynum did

[903124]

If Towns ever get to be 270 he will break and retire like Bynum did

I think Duncan does not break when he is 270 lb (his prime weight).

[No-Man]

If Towns ever get to be 270 he will break and retire like Bynum did

I think Duncan does not break when he is 270 lb (his prime weight).

Duncan has never been heavier than 255, and he is a much fluid and better built guy than Towns.

[SlowPaced]

I wrote a small piece on this comparison for my blog today. I've come to consider Towns the better prospect. To quote the piece "With both players having their strengths and weaknesses, the deciding factor comes to be their translation to the NBA. And this is where, I think, Karl-Anthony Towns sets himself apart. In this current day and age of the NBA, the biggest influence a center can bring to the game is defense. Teams pay extravagant money to centers that protect the rim, while centers who can't defend are deemed to be problematic on most occasions. Aside from this factor, Towns' overall game looks more suited to the next level. A lot of teams emphasize ball movement and bigs that operate in the post are most often considered ball stoppers. Okafor isn't a blackhole by any means but his game is founded on his ability to take the ball, go 1 v 1 and utilize his set of moves in the post. His faceup game isn't quite strong and having a faceup game in addition to the post game seems like a must for scoring bigs of today. Towns' offensive upside isn't as high as Okafor, but his faceup game and passing skills are reminiscent of some of the most valuable centers in the league. He quite clearly needs to polish his game but he's definitely a better fit for most teams in the league than Jahlil Okafor is." Feel free to check my signature for the piece, or not to.

#shamelessplug

[E-Balla]

I wrote a small piece on this comparison for my blog today. I've come to consider Towns the better prospect. To quote the piece "With both players having their strengths and weaknesses, the deciding factor comes to be their translation to the NBA. And this is where, I think, Karl-Anthony Towns sets himself apart. In this current day and age of the NBA, the biggest influence a center can bring to the game is defense. Teams pay extravagant money to centers that protect the rim, while centers who can't defend are deemed to be problematic on most occasions. Aside from this factor, Towns' overall game looks more suited to the next level. A lot of teams emphasize ball movement and bigs that operate in the post are most often considered ball stoppers. Okafor isn't a blackhole by any means but his game is founded on his ability to take the ball, go 1 v 1 and utilize his set of moves in the post. His faceup game isn't quite strong and having a faceup game in addition to the post game seems like a must for scoring bigs of today. Towns' offensive upside isn't as high as Okafor, but his faceup game and passing skills are reminiscent of some of the most valuable centers in the league. He quite clearly needs to polish his game but he's definitely a better fit for most teams in the league than Jahlil Okafor is." Feel free to check my signature for the piece, or not to.

#shamelessplug

Nope. His game like any other great post big is based on drawing double teams. The most valuable offensive basketball ability is the ability to draw double teams and get the ball out to the open shooter. Every offensive system is based in some sort of penetration and kick game. Whether it's a dribble drive, pick and roll, or post up. For all the talk about teams like the Spurs and Hawks there's never any mention of the fact that neither team has fielded a top 5 offense. What makes Jahlil special is exactly what you are saying doesn't make him special. He saw a hard double on 21% of his touches and Duke averaged 1.186 ppp on those possessions. He also finished PNRs better than anyone else in college ball (1.588 ppp !!!) and he was great at making the extra pass on his PNRs (they scored on 64.5% of his pass outs on the PNR). Jahlil moves the ball extremely well and better than Towns he was just leaned on more as a post guy at Duke.

[SlowPaced]

I wrote a small piece on this comparison for my blog today. I've come to consider Towns the better prospect. To quote the piece "With both players having their strengths and weaknesses, the deciding factor comes to be their translation to the NBA. And this is where, I think, Karl-Anthony Towns sets himself apart. In this current day and age of the NBA, the biggest influence a center can bring to the game is defense. Teams pay extravagant money to centers that protect the rim, while centers who can't defend are deemed to be problematic on most occasions. Aside from this factor, Towns' overall game looks more suited to the next level. A lot of teams emphasize ball movement and bigs that operate in the post are most often considered ball stoppers. Okafor isn't a blackhole by any means but his game is founded on his ability to take the ball, go 1 v 1 and utilize his set of moves in the post. His faceup game isn't quite strong and having a faceup game in addition to the post game seems like a must for scoring bigs of today. Towns' offensive upside isn't as high as Okafor, but his faceup game and passing skills are reminiscent of some of the most valuable centers in the league. He quite clearly needs to polish his game but he's definitely a better fit for most teams in the league than Jahlil Okafor is." Feel free to check my signature for the piece, or not to.

#shamelessplug

Nope. His game like any other great post big is based on drawing double teams. The most valuable offensive basketball ability is the ability to draw double teams and get the ball out to the open shooter. Every offensive system is based in some sort of penetration and kick game. Whether it's a dribble drive, pick and roll, or post up. For all the talk about teams like the Spurs and Hawks there's never any mention of the fact that neither team has fielded a top 5 offense. What makes Jahlil special is exactly what you are saying doesn't make him special. He saw a hard double on 21% of his touches and Duke averaged 1.186 ppp on those possessions. He also finished PNRs better than anyone else in college ball (1.588 ppp !!!) and he was great at making the extra pass on his PNRs (they scored on 64.5% of his pass outs on the PNR). Jahlil moves the ball extremely well and better than Towns he was just leaned on more as a post guy at Duke.

I didn't say that was the only thing he could do. If his game wasn't found upon that, he wouldn't be drawing double teams. Double teams don't come out of nowhere, it requires a set of skill. Drawing double teams is not the skill itself, but something a set of skills brings with it. I've talked about his ability to put the ball on the floor, his ability to pass in the other parts of the piece. It's weird that you completely disregarded the "isn't a blackhole" part of the sentence you bolded. Do you realize what that means? That means ability to pass the ball and not being a distruptor of the offensive flow.

What I pointed out there was his lack of a great faceup game. He's going to have a hard time finishing on pick'n rolls if he doesn't develop a consistent jump shot. There are two ways to be great pick'n roll finisher in the NBA. First is being a great athlete. Second is having a consistent jump shot. Okafor has neither going for him. I have a hard time seeing those percentages translating to the next level as it stands. Okafor is compared to the likes of Tim Duncan, Al Jefferson and DeMarcus Cousins frequently. Those guys have something in common. A faceup game. It makes for a huge part of their offensive threat.

[E-Balla]

I wrote a small piece on this comparison for my blog today. I've come to consider Towns the better prospect. To quote the piece "With both players having their strengths and weaknesses, the deciding factor comes to be their translation to the NBA. And this is where, I think, Karl-Anthony Towns sets himself apart. In this current day and age of the NBA, the biggest influence a center can bring to the game is defense. Teams pay extravagant money to centers that protect the rim, while centers who can't defend are deemed to be problematic on most occasions. Aside from this factor, Towns' overall game looks more suited to the next level. A lot of teams emphasize ball movement and bigs that operate in the post are most often considered ball stoppers. Okafor isn't a blackhole by any means but his game is founded on his ability to take the ball, go 1 v 1 and utilize his set of moves in the post. His faceup game isn't quite strong and having a faceup game in addition to the post game seems like a must for scoring bigs of today. Towns' offensive upside isn't as high as Okafor, but his faceup game and passing skills are reminiscent of some of the most valuable centers in the league. He quite clearly needs to polish his game but he's definitely a better fit for most teams in the league than Jahlil Okafor is." Feel free to check my signature for the piece, or not to.

#shamelessplug

Nope. His game like any other great post big is based on drawing double teams. The most valuable offensive basketball ability is the ability to draw double teams and get the ball out to the open shooter. Every offensive system is based in some sort of penetration and kick game. Whether it's a dribble drive, pick and roll, or post up. For all the talk about teams like the Spurs and Hawks there's never any mention of the fact that neither team has fielded a top 5 offense. What makes Jahlil special is exactly what you are saying doesn't make him special. He saw a hard double on 21% of his touches and Duke averaged 1.186 ppp on those possessions. He also finished PNRs better than anyone else in college ball (1.588 ppp !!!) and he was great at making the extra pass on his PNRs (they scored on 64.5% of his pass outs on the PNR). Jahlil moves the ball extremely well and better than Towns he was just leaned on more as a post guy at Duke.

I didn't say that was the only thing he could do. If his game wasn't found upon that, he wouldn't be drawing double teams. Double teams don't come out of nowhere, it requires a set of skill. Drawing double teams is not the skill itself, but something a set of skills brings with it. I've talked about his ability to put the ball on the floor, his ability to pass in the other parts of the piece. It's weird that you completely disregarded the "isn't a blackhole" part of the sentence you bolded. Do you realize what that means? That means ability to pass the ball and not being a distruptor of the offensive flow.

What I pointed out there was his lack of a great faceup game. He's going to have a hard time finishing on pick'n rolls if he doesn't develop a consistent jump shot. There are two ways to be great pick'n roll finisher in the NBA. First is being a great athlete. Second is having a consistent jump shot. Okafor has neither going for him. I have a hard time seeing those percentages translating to the next level as it stands. Okafor is compared to the likes of Tim Duncan, Al Jefferson and DeMarcus Cousins frequently. Those guys have something in common. A faceup game. It makes for a huge part of their offensive threat.

Jahlil's faceup game is why he has Hakeem comparisons and faceup is part of post offense last I checked. He is a great athlete his hands are amazing and still only second to the extremely soft touch he has. Jahlil doesn't need super athleticism he has size and power with nimble feet like Greg Oden or Eddy Curry.

[SlowPaced]

Nope. His game like any other great post big is based on drawing double teams. The most valuable offensive basketball ability is the ability to draw double teams and get the ball out to the open shooter. Every offensive system is based in some sort of penetration and kick game. Whether it's a dribble drive, pick and roll, or post up. For all the talk about teams like the Spurs and Hawks there's never any mention of the fact that neither team has fielded a top 5 offense. What makes Jahlil special is exactly what you are saying doesn't make him special. He saw a hard double on 21% of his touches and Duke averaged 1.186 ppp on those possessions. He also finished PNRs better than anyone else in college ball (1.588 ppp !!!) and he was great at making the extra pass on his PNRs (they scored on 64.5% of his pass outs on the PNR). Jahlil moves the ball extremely well and better than Towns he was just leaned on more as a post guy at Duke.

I didn't say that was the only thing he could do. If his game wasn't found upon that, he wouldn't be drawing double teams. Double teams don't come out of nowhere, it requires a set of skill. Drawing double teams is not the skill itself, but something a set of skills brings with it. I've talked about his ability to put the ball on the floor, his ability to pass in the other parts of the piece. It's weird that you completely disregarded the "isn't a blackhole" part of the sentence you bolded. Do you realize what that means? That means ability to pass the ball and not being a distruptor of the offensive flow.

What I pointed out there was his lack of a great faceup game. He's going to have a hard time finishing on pick'n rolls if he doesn't develop a consistent jump shot. There are two ways to be great pick'n roll finisher in the NBA. First is being a great athlete. Second is having a consistent jump shot. Okafor has neither going for him. I have a hard time seeing those percentages translating to the next level as it stands. Okafor is compared to the likes of Tim Duncan, Al Jefferson and DeMarcus Cousins frequently. Those guys have something in common. A faceup game. It makes for a huge part of their offensive threat.

Jahlil's faceup game is why he has Hakeem comparisons and faceup is part of post offense last I checked. He is a great athlete his hands are amazing and still only second to the extremely soft touch he has. Jahlil doesn't need super athleticism he has size and power with nimble feet like Greg Oden or Eddy Curry.

You're overrating him beyond belief. You should calm down a bit with your comparisons.

[MalonesElbows]

If Towns ever get to be 270 he will break and retire like Bynum did

I think Duncan does not break when he is 270 lb (his prime weight).

Duncan has never been heavier than 255, and he is a much fluid and better built guy than Towns.

Did Favors break? He's been playing at 270 the last two years. What does your expert medical opinion tell you??