Honest take (probably a long *** rant about draft prospects so if you dont feel like reading it all stop now
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I have been intensely watching the top prospects (Okafor, Towns, Russell) play this college bball season ever since it became obvious the Knicks were going to get a top pick in this draft. I did not know much about aby of them going into the season besides what I have read from draft websites and from watching them all play this season I have come to love D'Angel Russell, I was iffy about Karl Towns but I have started to love him as well, and I have been very iffy compared to the rest of America on Okafor. Well both Okafor and Towns had big games last night and I wanted to share my take about them both with all yall today...
I know that Jahil is considered the top prospect available and I can kind of see why. He is an absolute MENACE in the post. He was very impressive in their win vs UNC last night offensively down low. He can power through you, beat you with a quick baseline dribble and finish, absorb contact and still finish with a beautiful soft touch around the basket, etc. I have no doubt that especially here in the triangle offense, which isnt as fast paced as other NBA offenses today, Jahil would flourish as this team's center right away and I could even see him putting up close to 15 + 10 numbers right off the bat.
HAVING SAID THAT, Okafor once again made much more defensive mistakes last night than he did good plays. He is a liability on the defensive end and he doesnt have the physical tools to ever really change that part of his game IMO. If ive said it once ive said it a thousand times, I am VERY wary about the Knicks investingin ANOTHER big man with defensive issues. After Curry, Z-Bo, Amare, Bargnani (and you could say the Knicks never invested in Bargnani but we gave up a first round pick to get him so that would be wrong), none of those players panned out as we would have liked and defense was a MAJOR reason why. I dont like the idea of going after another big man who isnt good at defense and hand him the keys to the whip.
Second, which I didnt really realize until last night, Okafor seems to be absolutely bewildered by big moments when at the free throw line. He is shooting just above 50% from the line this season and he shot a combined 0/7 from the line vs UNC in their 2 matchups (both highly contested high pressure games where every point mattered). He badly missed his only attempt last night in what could have been a major momentum shift if it wasnt for the overall coolness down the stretch of Tyus Jones.
On the other hand I absolutely LOVE what I am seeing from Karl-Anthony Towns. This dude is an absolute physical specimen who SHINES in every single area I have concerns about Okafor. Towns is an athletic freak who is a ridiculous shot blocker and can guard multiple positions due to his athleticism. He looks like he can have some serious DPOY potential down the road. I can seriously see him being a Tyson Chandler-esque defender down the road.
However the real beauty of Towns is that Tyson Chandler is pretty much his floor in terms of his potential. Like if all goes wrong I can still see Towns being a Tyson Chandler player solely based on his athleticism and defense, but his beauty lies in the rest of his game. In addition to Towns' defensive comparisons to Chandler, he also plays with a similar nastiness and edge that I just dont see in Okafor. I could never picture Towns looking fazed in big moments like I saw from Okafor at the line last night at the end of the UNC game.
In addition, Towns is a much better FT shooter than Okaofr as he has been shooting close to 80% this season and remember he is only a college freshman. That will never be an area of concern for Towns, which is a much bigger deal than it seems for NBA big man. If you are drafting Okafor to be your go to scorer, you want him to be able to convert at the FT line. Especially considering how physical Okafor is on the low blocks. In addition to his FT shooting, I honestly think Towns has the potential to become a better offensive player than Okafor.
While Okafor is clearly the more polished offensive weapon right now, and will probably always have a better post game than Towns, Towns is the much more diverse player and he will only improve. While Okafor will be more of a weapon down low, Towns has amazing potential to be a killer in the high post/pinch post in the triangle. His combination of size, shooting touch, and incredible passing vision for a big man should make him a legitimate threat to do work in the pinch post which I dont ever see Okafor having the ability to do. Towns also has the ability to step out and drain three pointers.
His offensive potential kind of reminds me of Rasheed Wallace, and Sheed probably could have become one of the all-time greats if he had a greater desire, which Towns seems to have. Towns is a tough/hard working player and because of that I definitely think Towns will reach his enormous potential and be a beast in the NBA. Just imagine a Rasheed Wallace-type offensive player who is a Tyson Chandler-type defensively. While I am confident Okafor would do work in our system, he simply cannot become that type of NBA player that Towns could be.
I think it is also important to note how well Towns has developed over the course of one season. This is what players with great potential ALWAYS do in college. Callipari said by the end of the season he expects Towns to be the best center in the country, and with the way Towns has played lately it looks like he knew what he was talking about.
Towns looked lost in the beginning of the season, he looked like a boy amongst men and some mocks had him even falling out of the top 5 in the beginning of the season. Now many draft experts have the race for the #1 pick back to being a 2 horse race between Towns and Okafor like it was supposed to be before the season.
While Okafor has remained consistently great all season long, I think it is more relevant in the long term the way Towns has developed. If he is able to develop from a lost looking boy at the beginning of the season to one of the best centers in college basketball by the end, just imagine what he could become a couple of years in the NBA. The same exact thing happened with Andrew Wiggins last year (while Jabari Parker, another player who IMO has limited potential compared to Wiggins had more of the Okafor dominant all season long type of season), Derrick Rose did it in Memphis. I was never impressed watching Derrick rose when he first started at Memphis and did not believe all the hype around him until I saw him become the best player in college basketball during the NCAA tournament and damn near cried when the Bulls jumped over the Knicks and others to win the Draft lottery that year (Again, Beasley had more of the consistently dominant season). Melo did it at Cuse, etc.
Players who have the kind of potential that these players have develop A LOT over the course of one season when they are young and that is what I have seen from Towns this year. If the Knicks find themselves in a place to choose between the 2 big men come draft night, I honestly think it is a no brainer to select the NJ-born Towns over Okafor. It is a pick the Knicks will not regret over the long term. I truly think Towns has franchise player potential and while I will admit that Okafor would do work here and get his buckets, I cant see him ever becoming that...
However, I am still driving the D'Angelo Russell bandwagon as he has been the most productive freshman in college basketball this season, single handedly carrying a weak *** Ohio State team. He is a 6'5 freshman point guard who can shoot lights out and pass with the best of them. I think D'Angelo Russell would develop into becoming the PERFECT triangle point guard if we drafted him. His coolness/mentality reminds me alot of D-fish and I think he would flourish under the toolage of coach Fisher, except for the fact that Russell is far more talented than Fisher ever was. D'Angelo Russell is the kind of player who I would feel 100% confident in the Knicks handing the keys of the franchise to. He is just a born leader who has taken control of an undermanned Ohio State team with the swagger of the most hardened senior leader. He does everything you could ask and more in a triangle point guard.
Give me Russell or Towns on draft night and I will be dancing in the streets. Because of that, knowing the Knicks I am sure they end up with Okafor or take one of the foreigners. Tune in to Ohio State/Wisco today at 4:30 to get a first hand look at what im talking about with D-L0. Peace.