Welcome Okafor

[CoreyGallagher]

He was not a better defender as a rookie.

By what measure?

Cousins seems to of been a better defender when he was a rookie, however Okafor seems to be a much, much better offensive player.

I remember him saying that. He hasn't gotten better. Rebounds are there to be had and he just doesn't give a damn. All rebound in is is getting good position and having a good idea where the ball should bounce and hustling to get the ball and boxing out well. It's not that difficult. Okafor is lazy there and he needs to do better.

He said that November 3rd after his lowest rebounding percentage game of the season and during his worst stretch of rebounding (initial 6 games). After that stretch, for the rest of November he had a 15.5 rebounding%, December he had a 14.4%, and January he's down to 11.6%. It does seem to be a matter of effort, the best rebounders want them more than the other 9 guys on the court, not just the opposing 5. Chandler was exemplary of that last night.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/MikeSGallagher/status/691117258865819650[/tweet]

[mksp]

Jahlil's defensive rebounding is an embarrassment, and yes it's largely because of his effort. Let's just call it what it is.

His offense and his defense have both improved significantly since Ish Smith arrived, but his rebounding just keeps getting worse.

Just focus on him when a shot goes up. It's like a tutorial in how *not* to rebound.

[iMoreland]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/brianseltzer/status/691389548849397764[/tweet]

[76ciology]

Jahlil's defensive rebounding is an embarrassment, and yes it's largely because of his effort. Let's just call it what it is.

His offense and his defense have both improved significantly since Ish Smith arrived, but his rebounding just keeps getting worse.

Just focus on him when a shot goes up. It's like a tutorial in how *not* to rebound.

Yup. That's why Noel is so easy to root for. Same thing with Thad. Both guys gives the effort and are nice guys on and off the court.

[76ciology]

You need to be able to play big and small. For example the Spurs.

The frontcourt of their 3 best line-ups are..
Kawhi/LMA/TD (start big)
Kawhi/David West/LMA (top in 2nd half net rating, use to pull away)
Kawhi/Diaw/LMA (top in 2nd half net rating, use to pull away)

Some frontcourt combinations also consists of..
Kyle Anderson/David West
David West/Diaw

My guess is that they split Diaw and West's minutes to keep them fresh and fast for a small ball type pace.

[76ciology]

You need to be able to play big and small. For example the Spurs.

The frontcourt of their 3 best line-ups are..
Kawhi/LMA/TD (start big)
Kawhi/David West/LMA (top in 2nd half net rating, use to pull away)
Kawhi/Diaw/LMA (top in 2nd half net rating, use to pull away)

Some frontcourt combinations also consists of..
Kyle Anderson/David West
David West/Diaw

My guess is that they split Diaw and West's minutes to keep them fresh and fast for a small ball type pace.

Jazz also having problems with their two bigs. Lyles allows them to go small. But a big part of it also IMO is because of the lack of talent at their guard and wing positions.
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/14647616/the-jazz-hope-enough-money-their-rebuilding-plan-work

Versatility is a prerequisite to winning big. To gut through four playoff opponents, you need to play big, small, and every style in between. Lyles might one day be Utah's Boris Diaw, just as some small-ball team loaded with 3-point shooters might turn Gobert into a matchup-specific bench player like Andrew Bogut. But that versatility costs money. The Spurs got Diaw on the cheap, and both San Antonio and Golden State squeezed in key bench players only after nabbing stars on below-market deals. The Jazz might be on the verge of an expensive problem.

But is there hope for that cramped Favors-Gobert pairing? Favors improves his passing, post game and jumper every season, and the Jazz are hopeful both Favors and Gobert will extend their range. They don't match the blueprint for a modern NBA front line, but if they mix in enough passing, shooting, screening and offensive rebounding, they should score enough to work their menacing magic on defense.

[HotelVitale]

This is from Kevin Pelton's chat a few days ago. Same stuff we talk about here, but it's an objective assessment from a guy who definitely has nothing for/against Okafor:

"What do you think of Okafor's play since the Sixers brought in Ish Smith, particularly his work facing up from the elbow? Is this unexpected for him or did you project this offensive versatility coming out of Duke?

Kevin Pelton (3:45 PM):
"He's been terrific. What Okafor is doing since Smith's arrival would make him one of the best rookie scorers in recent NBA history.
The sample is still pretty small, so I'd be a little skeptical that Okafor will keep shooting quite this well from 4-10 feet. But I'm not altogether surprised by his touch, which he showed at times at Duke, and it's a natural reaction to having a tougher time scoring inside than he did against smaller defenders. This is what I hoped Okafor could become offensively when I ranked him my third-best prospect in last year's draft despite concerns about his defense."

[Ericb5]

This is from Kevin Pelton's chat a few days ago. Same stuff we talk about here, but it's an objective assessment from a guy who definitely has nothing for/against Okafor:

"What do you think of Okafor's play since the Sixers brought in Ish Smith, particularly his work facing up from the elbow? Is this unexpected for him or did you project this offensive versatility coming out of Duke?

Kevin Pelton (3:45 PM):
"He's been terrific. What Okafor is doing since Smith's arrival would make him one of the best rookie scorers in recent NBA history.
The sample is still pretty small, so I'd be a little skeptical that Okafor will keep shooting quite this well from 4-10 feet. But I'm not altogether surprised by his touch, which he showed at times at Duke, and it's a natural reaction to having a tougher time scoring inside than he did against smaller defenders. This is what I hoped Okafor could become offensively when I ranked him my third-best prospect in last year's draft despite concerns about his defense."

I'm not a big fan of Pelton, but am happy to read that. I liked Hollinger a lot more when he was handling the analytics for ESPN.

Okafor is objectively kicking ass these days. His offense has been truly great, and he is adding new skills seemingly by the game. Defensively he has improved as well. He is making far fewer embarrassingly bad defensive plays, and his one on one defense has been better than average for sure. He is improving at a much slower rate defensively, but he is objectively improving.

Unfortunately, he is as bad as ever with his rebounding. Let's see where he is at the end of he season. I expect that the Arc of the season will continue to rise for the rest of the year as long as he stays healthy, and he plays a lot with Ish.


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[rzzzzz]

Let's see where he is at the end of he season. I expect that the Arc of the season will continue to rise for the rest of the year as long as he stays healthy, and he plays a lot with Ish.

damn straight. guess there was no way to escape the 2nd guessing on line about KP and whether Sam really had a free hand and all that. or keeping the Knicks from getting OK4. whatever, neither of these guys are a whiff. it's Pierce/Dirk all over again. they're both going to be great. (hell of a draft class!)

[CoreyGallagher]

Missing these 2 games probably costs him EC Rookie of the Month, unless he plays really well against the Warriors.

[76ciology]

Pau Gasol 21y/o:
8.8ORB% 18.2 DRB% 13.5TRB%
Jah Okafor 20y/o:
8.2ORB% 18.3 DRB% 13.2TRB%
Pau 35y/o:
7.9ORB% 26.5DRB% 17.6TRB%

[Sixerscan]

Pau Gasol 21y/o:
8.8ORB% 18.2 DRB% 13.5TRB%
Jah Okafor 20y/o:
8.2ORB% 18.3 DRB% 13.2TRB%
Pau 35y/o:
7.9ORB% 26.5DRB% 17.6TRB%

Pau played a decent amount at the 3 his rookie year if I remember correctly. Dude was a stringbean.

[Winejk]

This is from Kevin Pelton's chat a few days ago. Same stuff we talk about here, but it's an objective assessment from a guy who definitely has nothing for/against Okafor:

"What do you think of Okafor's play since the Sixers brought in Ish Smith, particularly his work facing up from the elbow? Is this unexpected for him or did you project this offensive versatility coming out of Duke?

Kevin Pelton (3:45 PM):
"He's been terrific. What Okafor is doing since Smith's arrival would make him one of the best rookie scorers in recent NBA history.
The sample is still pretty small, so I'd be a little skeptical that Okafor will keep shooting quite this well from 4-10 feet. But I'm not altogether surprised by his touch, which he showed at times at Duke, and it's a natural reaction to having a tougher time scoring inside than he did against smaller defenders. This is what I hoped Okafor could become offensively when I ranked him my third-best prospect in last year's draft despite concerns about his defense."

I kind of lost all respect for Chad Ford and Kevin Pelton when h Pelton had Okafor ranked #8 and Ford had Okafor ranked #10 in 2015 rookies. Granted they were evaluating him pre-Ish Smith, but some of the guys they were ranking in front of Okafor was just laughable. Wily Cauly Stein, Kelly Oubre and Mario Henzonja...better potential than Okafor? Please. They literally couldn't find a nice thing to say about Okafor.

http://espn.go.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/14448751/ranking-karl-anthony-towns-kristaps-porzingis-2015-rookies-future-potential-nba

[sixerswillrule]

Pau Gasol 21y/o:
8.8ORB% 18.2 DRB% 13.5TRB%
Jah Okafor 20y/o:
8.2ORB% 18.3 DRB% 13.2TRB%
Pau 35y/o:
7.9ORB% 26.5DRB% 17.6TRB%

Pau played a decent amount at the 3 his rookie year if I remember correctly. Dude was a stringbean.

No 3 for Pau, and actually he played a lot of center.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MEM/2002.html

PF/C teammates were Stromile Swift, Tony Massenburg, and Lorenzen Wright.

[Sixerscan]

Pau Gasol 21y/o:
8.8ORB% 18.2 DRB% 13.5TRB%
Jah Okafor 20y/o:
8.2ORB% 18.3 DRB% 13.2TRB%
Pau 35y/o:
7.9ORB% 26.5DRB% 17.6TRB%

Pau played a decent amount at the 3 his rookie year if I remember correctly. Dude was a stringbean.

No 3 for Pau, and actually he played a lot of center.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MEM/2002.html

PF/C teammates were Stromile Swift, Tony Massenburg, and Lorenzen Wright.

Hmm, maybe I'm thinking of someone else.

[sixerswillrule]

Pau played a decent amount at the 3 his rookie year if I remember correctly. Dude was a stringbean.

No 3 for Pau, and actually he played a lot of center.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MEM/2002.html

PF/C teammates were Stromile Swift, Tony Massenburg, and Lorenzen Wright.

Hmm, maybe I'm thinking of someone else.

Probably KG.

[Sixerscan]

No 3 for Pau, and actually he played a lot of center.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MEM/2002.html

PF/C teammates were Stromile Swift, Tony Massenburg, and Lorenzen Wright.

Hmm, maybe I'm thinking of someone else.

Probably KG.

I think I was thinking of dirk. Kg is another one though.

I thought durant was eventually going to move down low but that never happened.

[phillynative]

In his last DNP (against the suns) Fitness was noted as the reason

[76ciology]

I would like to share this about Jah.

Okafor doesn't do well in BPM because he doesn't score efficiently (51.8%, when the league average is 53.7%), that scoring inefficiency is exacerbated by high usage, he doesn't get assists or steals at a high rate (few bigs do), and that isn't compensated for by high rebound or block rates, which most bigs have. Okafor is just a bit over the league average in categories where bigs usually have a significant advantage over wings and guards.

When people say he's going to 17/7 on the year as a way of advocating for him, my first thought is that the "7" is a mark against him.

Okafor's rankings amongst the 41 qualifying centers (20 games played, 10mpg) in the NBA:

True Shooting Percentage........37th
Rebound Rate........................37th
Assist Rate............................23rd
Steal Rate.............................35th
Block Rate.............................31st
Turnover Rate..........................9th

Aside from Turnover Rate (I didn't realize he had improved this much in this area), what does he do better than other bigs? Not in an aesthetic, "look at those post moves" sort of way, but in a tangible one. This is why his VORP (-0.7) is so low.

..also explains why Wiggins look so bad in BPM/RPM stats. Key for Jah IMO is for him to get more rebs and deflections on defense and continue to shoot as efficienct as he did this January.

[sixersblue]

Will he be in the lineup in tomorrow game against GSW?