With the sixth pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, The Sacramento Kings select Jahlil Okafor, C, Duke.
Mr_RyMo:
The Okafor slide certainly wasn’t expected, but he’s just too talented to pass up. The ability to pair him with DeMarcus Cousins gives the Kings something that no other NBA team has on its roster right now – two big men with elite low post scoring ability. Although Cousins isn’t a perimeter threat, his ability to hit 15-20 foot shots allows him to move to power forward, with Okafor at center.
With Okafor, the Kings would almost always have a low-post scoring threat in the game, and when both are in the game at the same time, it is a nightmare for the opposing defense. Paired with two good outside shooters in Ben McLemore and Nik Stauskas, and a talented scorer in Rudy Gay, this version of a Kings offense would be difficult to stop in half court sets. It wouldn’t be the up-tempo offense George Karl is known for, but it would create massive mismatches. The Kings’ point guard, Darren Collison, also excels in running the pick and roll, probably the most common set run in the NBA today. Having three guys in Cousins, Gay, and Okafor to run those sets, gives the Kings a ton of options in half court sets; Karl can get very, very creative with this team.
The biggest concern about Okafor is his defense, and that is a worth while concern. HIs biggest challenge isn’t ability, it’s effort on that end of the court. However, we as Nuggets fans know that George Karl, if made to choose, would always take the offensive player first, so the defensive question marks aren’t as big to me as they might be to others. If looking for a rim protector to pair with Cousins, Willie Trill Cauley-Stein or Myles Turner would be a good fit here.
As bad as the Kings have been recently, they can’t pass up the best available player here.
*George Karl was so excited to land a prospect like Jahlil Okafor that he immediately called Anthony Carter to draw up new inbound plays for the Kings*
Agaliarept and YOUR DENVER NUGGETS ARE NOW ON THE CLOCK!
