JAHLIL OKAFOR: ONE, BUT NOT DONE
- by DeMarco Williams, Slam Magazine
It’s a fairly typical Saturday morning in Durham, NC. Basketball legend David Robinson and his son Justin just happen to be placing their orders at the omelet stand at Fairview Dining Room, the signature restaurant at Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club, a luxury hotel not a 10-minute walk from Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Now, we don’t know what reason David’s family had for being near Duke’s campus that particular Saturday beyond the morning spread — of course, the 6-7 Justin is slated to join Duke’s basketball team next season as a walk-on — but, at 1 p.m., the Robinsons were all inside Cameron for a hyped ACC showdown between Duke and Notre Dame. Can’t really blame them, either. Both rosters were loaded with NBA-caliber talent: The Fighting Irish had Jerian Grant and Zach Auguste while the Blue Devils marched out Justise Winslow, Tyus Jones and a guy with a ravenous appetite for rebounds, Jahlil Okafor.
It’s funny, when you look at Okafor play on the offensive end, he actually reminds you of a wide-eyed Tim Duncan from 1997 or ’98, right when he first started playing with the elder Robinson in San Antonio. The Gregory Hines-like footwork, Duncan Hines-sweet post-up moves and the stoic demeanor — it’s all eerily similar, just now it’s in a hulky 6-10, 270-pound package that the Xbox generation can enjoy.
“I’m humbled by [the comparisons],” says Okafor, the first freshman in ACC history to be named conference Player of the Year. “I’m not nearly as talented as he is, but I love to watch him to see a lot of things that he does. Tim Duncan, Hakeem Olajuwon and Shaquille O’Neal are my three [favorites to analyze].”
But Okafor, 19, has already accomplished more at the collegiate level than Duncan did at Wake Forest or O’Neal at LSU — he led Duke to a national title. While a 15-point, 5.6-rebound average over 6 hard-fought NCAA Tournament games is impressive, the intangibles that don’t have a place in the box score — fnding the open teammate on a double team; having big, soft hands to clean up after a sloppy pass; showing poise under the big interview lights — are truly what make him so Timmy-like. “I’m a guy who wants to win,” says the Chicago native who decided he was ready for the NBA grind after just one season in Durham. “I’m going to work hard and do what I’ve done to get better.”
That’s pretty much all he’ll offer in the way of a selfscouting report. Instead of going on about how he’s so comfortable in the low post that he could have mail sent there, he’d much rather talk about winning as a team (“We did it together”) or his love of dogs. (Quick aside: Jahlil used to have Great Danes (alani tedeschi, ndr). But when his summers became full of AAU tournaments and other basketball commitments, he didn’t have the time to care for the canines like he wanted. Jahlil’s dad, Chukwudi, let him know that his house wouldn’t serve double duty as a kennel, so the youngster had to get rid of his four-legged friends.)
Duncan is a dog man, too. Truth be told, the similarities could go on for another five pages. Where things deviate slightly is when it comes to the NBA Draft. Duncan, who averaged 20 points and nearly 15 boards his dominating senior season with the Demon Deacons, was the near-consensus No. 1 pick. Okafor, a First-Team All-American selection, has Kentucky’s Karl-Anthony Towns and, to a lesser extent, Ohio State’s D’Angelo Russell to contend with in that respect.
“I think I have to improve on every aspect of my game,” says Okafor, when the topic turns to his performance at the next level. “There are so many good players up there. I have a lot of work to do to be successful. I don’t think there’s one specific spot I need to improve, but my entire game.”
And though his conditioning and acumen on the defensive end will remain question marks through the summer, Jahlil’s mental fortitude and focus should never come in doubt. In fact, not 5 days removed from trimming the nets after beating Wisconsin, we asked Okafor if he’d come off that National Title-winning high yet. His response: “Yeah, I have a paper due on Friday.”
Tim Duncan couldn’t have said it any better.
DeMarco Williams, Slam Magazine
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