Welcome Okafor: Thread 2

[rallydurham]

I dont expect his shot blocking or mobility to improve much.

And i don't see him developing into a 3pt shooter either

[CoreyGallagher]

Doesn't have to become a 3 point shooter, just has be able make them when he does take them. Teams knowing a player can shoot from there, even if not often, is enough to keep them honest and be conciously aware that they're out there.

[Sixteen]

Okafor is hopeless on defense? Maybe I am watching a different Okafor because he's not as bad as some posters are saying.

[Sportfan73]

Okafor is hopeless on defense? Maybe I am watching a different Okafor because he's not as bad as some posters are saying.

I think Noel is a lot more topped out on offense than Okafor on defense.

[BNelley24]

I am really, really confused about the media & general opinions on Okafor so far. I've listened to people on sportstalk actually say Okafor was disappointing this year blah blah blah. All I read it seems is people bashing Okafor. The dude was a rookie and played tremendous on a team with absolute garbage talent. I pray to god we don't trade him I really want to see Okie - Embiid - 2016 pick out there.

[Ericb5]

Okafor is hopeless on defense? Maybe I am watching a different Okafor because he's not as bad as some posters are saying.

I think Noel is a lot more topped out on offense than Okafor on defense.

I definitely agree with this.

Noel isn't going to get much better offensively than he is now. He can improve his offensive production by better teammates and by being set up consistently, but I don't have much optimism about him improving his skills much more.

Okafor on the other hand can definitely improve on his defense if for no other reason than him learning his role and reacting faster. He isn't very fleet of foot obviously, but the biggest factor in his defensive lapses imo are his slow reaction times. I think that there is some real coachable upside here.

Said another way, I think that the chances of Okafor being an average defensive player are higher than Noel's chances of being an average offensive player, and I even think that Okafor can be a notch better than that, at least in most situations.

[Wilfried]

Still think Okafor can become as good as LaMarcus Alldridge and that his career could develop the same way.

[ET Da Gawd]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZihwmQ3PaC8[/youtube]
You'd be a complete idiot of a basketball mind nonetheless GM/Front Office to trade this guy. Literally cannot be covered one on one and did this on a horrid roster. This would be equivalent to trading a young KG/Duncan for a sf to chucks 3s at pf. Okafor as far as I'm concerned is our clear cut best offensive weapon (even moreso than Joel). He's a championship piece.

[ExplosionsInDaSky]

+1 I'm a big Okafor supporter, no way should we trade him.

[PhilasFinest]

I def think Okafor needs to stay around. We can continue to work on his fitness and fundamentals on Defense/Rebounding.

Kid can be one of the top scorers in the league. Imagine him in 2 years with actual NBA players around him that can compliment his game.

Add that with the fact that he is under contract on a rookie scaled deal for the next few years and it makes the choice easy IMO.

[SparksFly87]

I truly Okafor gets a ton if disrespect . He has improved tremendously on his weaknesses and has elite strengths. Okafor is our current best play and at his current pace should be a sure fire perennial allstar. His scoring ability is rare and he has the ability to block shots without even leaving his feet because of his great length and underrated timing. I know he will be a great rebounder because of his size and length as he continues to develop. We have young Lamarcus Aldrige on our hands .

[76ciology]

Spurs version of LMA. Why not?

[ExplosionsInDaSky]

Absolutely! He needs to get in better condition and improve as rebounder. Sky is the limit for him a big man offensively. I doubt he winsca DPOY any time soon, but he'll get to the point where he's not a liability, and more of a playmaker on defense (blocking a shot, steal).

[ankle420breaker]

It'd take a lot for me to support an Okafor trade. I view him as a legit #1 scoring option in this league and they don't grow on trees. The advantages he provides in terms of demanding double teams and making our offense more effective in the half-court are too valuable.

[Lou_23]

Where I can see the points allowed in the post by Okafor?

[76ers 2020]

Where I can see the points allowed in the post by Okafor?

http://stats.nba.com/league/player/#!/playtype/post-up/?Season=2015-16&SeasonType=Regular%20Season&PerMode=Totals&OD=defensive&CF=TeamNameAbbreviation*E*PHI&sort=PPP&dir=-1

[Lou_23]

Thanks

[76ciology]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXrEHzf9tKw[/youtube]
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pb1iND8bFLU[/youtube]
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOyWKgr-UpE[/youtube]

only if you're hardcore

[Arsenal]

I would like to keep Okafor also, but it depends what the return is for him vs. for Noel. One of them MUST go.

If we could trade Noel for Dennis Schroder or Kris Dunn then I'd prefer to do that and keep Okafor. I'm just not sure we can get that much for Noel.

I think Okafor will put up DeMarcus Cousins type numbers in a couple of years. If need be, trade him then as I believe his value will be higher than it is now.

[Negrodamus]

Spacing just wouldn't be an issue for Embiid and Okafor. I do think defense would be pretty bad though.