Right before our eyes Jahlil Okafor is quickly becoming the best player in the ACC, and the nation.
There were question marks for Jahlil Okafor coming into the year. His weight. In high school at Chicago’s Whitney Young high school Jahlil wasn’t the Jahlil that you see at Duke, speaking physically. In high school Jahlil had a layer of “baby fat” that concerned people. He was a tad over weight and questions were raised whether or not he would be fit enough and in good enough shape to sustain the college game. He also isn’t an incredibly athletic player.
Dec 29, 2014; Durham, NC, USA; Toledo Rockets guard/forward Justin Drummond (4) drives against Duke Blue Devils center Jahlil Okafor (15) in their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports
Jahlil worked endlessly in the off-season coming into the school year and trimmed down. He is now in the best shape of his life and has never looked better, and it is showing on the court as well. I think to this point it is fair to say that he has answered the critics. Accumulating ACC Rookie of the Week five times, while winning ACC Player of the Week once.
Now what exactly separates Jahlil apart from the rest of the NCAA? Well it’s almost impossible to that question with just one sentence. There are so many assets that set Jahlil apart.
As a big, Jahlil is obviously blessed with the gift of his size. But what might get overlooked sometimes are his hands. His hands are absolutely massive. When he gets that ball in the post it is like he is holding a tennis ball in his hands. Catching and palming the ball in one hand with ease. Making it very difficult for a defender to ever get near the ball when it is in Jahlil’s hands. Also when you are holding the ball like a tennis ball, it makes it a lot easier to finish, which goes to show with his 68.2 percent field goal percentage.
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Jahlil also holds something that you don’t typically see with men his size. And yes I say men, Jahlil is a full-grown man. But that something that Jahlil holds is footwork. His footwork is unmatched and is the reason why he is able to blow by defenders in the post on the regular. His spin move looks effortless, leaving the defender in the dust, it’s not an easy thing for a big man to spin like that and get by his man, Jahlil does that with ease.
Lastly, basketball IQ. This one is probably the least obvious of the reason, but it is certainly not one to be forgotten. A big man with Jahlil’s qualities is going to face double and triple teams throughout the year, anything to keep him off-balance. Thus far this year Jahlil has been able to evade these double and triple teams with his basketball IQ and ability to pass and get free from these double and triple teams. Being able to find the open man when facing multiple defenders is just as important as beating your man one on one.
Jahlil needs to work on his free throw shooting that isn’t a question. Shooting just 57 percent on the year. But has looked vastly improved at the line going 14-17 against Boston College. He also needs to work on his defense a little bit, but his defense is making strides since being at Duke. He has been doing a much better job rotating over and providing good help defense. But there is no question that Jahlil has been the most impressive freshman, and player in all of college basketball.