Limited Range of Offense –
When talking about Okafor’s offensive game before, I mentioned that the big was shooting 57.7 percent (15 of 26) within the restricted area this season. That’s a great field goal percentage around the rim, but as Okafor moves away from the basket, his shooting percentage suffers.
On shots within the paint but not within the restricted area, Okafor has shot just 31.3 percent (5 of 16). When looking at his shot chart for the 2017-2018 season, it shows that Okafor is still finishing around the league average on shots close to the basket.
However, when the big moves more towards the mid-range area, his shooting drops off noticeably. On shots further than five feet away from the basket, Okafor has shot an atrocious 28.5 percent (6-21), which isn’t ideal for the modern NBA.
This puts a limit on the way that Atkinson can use Okafor on offense until the center can develop a reliable shooting touch from distance.
The Ugly:
Subpar Defense and Rebounding –
Against Okafor this season, opposing players are shooting 52.8 percent from the field. Only 15 centers are allowing a higher field goal percentage and only seven of those players have seen more shots taken against them than Okafor.
For comparison, fellow Nets center Jarrett Allen is holding opponents to just 44 percent shooting, better than players such as Rudy Gobert (48.4 percent) and Clint Capela (48.6 percent). With Okafor on the floor, the Nets have posted a defensive rating of 115.9 points which would put them dead last in the league.
When it comes to rebounding, Okafor is doing just as poorly. In 93 minutes with Brooklyn, the center has only grabbed 16 rebounds during his time on the floor.
Despite being 6’11, Okafor is only averaging 2.3 rebounds in 13.3 minutes per game. This season, only four other centers are averaging more than 13 minutes per game and less than 3.0 rebounds: Zach Collins, Epke Udoh, Marreese Speights, and Cristiano Felicio.
Keys for the Second Half of the Season
Improving Chemistry and Passing Potential –
Many of the players on the Nets’ roster aren’t used to playing with a player like Okafor and don’t have much practice moving off-ball when the ball is in the post. Once his teammates become more comfortable cutting and moving around the perimeter when Okafor has his back to the basket, the big will have the opportunity to become a valuable playmaker for his teammates out of the post.
Atkinson and the coaching staff will likely start working in more half-court sets where Okafor catches the ball in the post and his teammates cut and move around him relative to his position.
Earlier in the season, the Phoenix Suns had success running these types of plays, such as the one below, for Greg Monroe, another predominately back to the basket player similar to Okafor:
Kenny Atkinson’s Vision for Okafor –
After Okafor’s best performance of the season against the Hawks, Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson spoke with the media and revealed that he and the coaching staff want to start using the center more in the pick and roll action when he’s on the floor (starts at the 1:40 mark of the video).
"They wanted this game."
– Kenny Atkinson on the @BrooklynNets win pic.twitter.com/nopObsVjqa
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) January 13, 2018
“It [Okafor’s performance] was a nice mixture, he was in the post some, but a lot of it was in the pick and roll,” Atkinson said, “That’s where we think he can be a beast. He’s got great hands, he can roll, he’s got a great body, he can finish in the lane. That hasn’t been a forte before, and we want it to be his forte.”
Expect to see a lot more plays like the one below, where Okafor catches the ball out of the roll on the way to the basket and either floats the ball to the basket or puts it on the ground and drives to the rim. Plays like these allow Okafor to attack with his defender in front with a little space for him to get creative.
Effort and Gradual Improvement:
Nets fans shouldn’t expect Okafor to instantly turn into some offensive juggernaut now that he’s starting to receive more minutes and gaining confidence. What should be expected is for Okafor to continue to give 110 percent effort when he’s on the floor. Furthermore, expect the young center to gradually improve as his chemistry with new teammates progresses and he becomes more comfortable within the Nets’ system.
Okafor just recently turned 22 and still has plenty of time to become a respectable NBA contributor for Brooklyn. As with any young player, Jah is going to have growing pains and there’s going to be games where he looks downright terrible on the floor. Even in the moments when he’s struggling, it’s going to be vital for the Nets organization and fans to not turn their backs on Okafor like the 76ers did and continue to support the young man during his time in Brooklyn.