The Detroit Pistons: The benefits of signing Jahlil Okafor

While the signing may have turned some heads, Jahlil Okafor could be a sneaky good addition to the Detroit Pistons.

The Detroit Pistons have been busy this offseason. With the draft and free agency happening right before the start of the season, many expected the new GM Troy Weaver to make some moves to gather assets for a team in rebuilding mode, but probably didn’t expect what transpired.

And the biggest question was; why so many centers? In the article “Why Detroit Pistons GM Troy Weaver is here for all your jokes about centers,” by Omari Sankofa II in the Detroit Free Press, Weaver had this to say;

"“Let the record show, I know there was a lot about us collecting a lot of centers…Absolutely. I love bigs. People always say they want the opposite — guards want to be bigs, bigs want to be guards. I love big guys. I believe that’s the way we win, by controlling the backboards. It’s held true. I’ve never seen a team win a championship without controlling the backboard.“I welcome all the center jokes, because I do love centers.”"

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The team signed Mason Plumlee and drafted Isaiah Stewart. Almost as a footnote, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski announced the Pistons signed Jahlil Okafor to a two-year deal for the veteran minimum.

The Pistons will be Okafor’s fourth team in his sixth professional season. The former #3 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft will be 25 years old when the season starts. Where he fits in this year’s rotation remains to be seen, but he should have the chance to give quality minutes off the bench.

Okafor showed promise early on for Philadelphia then they drafted Joel Embiid and he was sent to Brooklyn. He played his last two seasons in New Orleans and saw inconsistent playing time.

The NBA was going through its transition to every player on the court being able to shoot threes when Okafor was drafted. Traditional centers became less of a priority which has made it hard for players like Okafor to receive consistent playing time.

While most of Okafor’s damage is done from 10-feet in, he can be valuable to this Pistons team.

Okafor may not shoot from three point range, but he can handle the ball out there, and is great at using his big body for hand off screens. Those screens can create open shots for the Pistons’ young guards and give them easy assist opportunities as Okafor likes to roll to the basket.

By not being expected to log heavy minutes Okafor should be able to be aggressive on both ends of the floor. He’s not the greatest defender, but is willing, and can be effective with help side blocks.

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On offense Okafor displays a solid post game and loves to take defenders on with a dribble-drive. Against some lineups, his size, and ability around the hoop, can create mismatches. He’s perfect for whenever the team needs some bully ball.

The Pistons saw this first hand last season when the Pelicans traveled to Little Caesars Arena. Okafor played 34 minutes and put up 25 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks.

Two years ago when Okafor filled in for Anthony Davis he played some of his best basketball.

In the last 32 games of the 2018-2019 season, Okafor averaged 11.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, one assist, and one block in 22 minutes per game (via Basketball Reference).

Everything of course depends on matchups and the rotation coach Dwane Casey decides on. It could take a while for the rotation to develop, but when given the playing time, Okafor can be productive.

His contract makes the signing less risky. He won’t cost the team a ton of money and could be a pleasant surprise this season.

At Duke he was ACC Player of the Year, First Team All-American, and led the Blue Devils to a national championship.

The guy can play, but has had trouble figuring out the NBA game. This is a crucial opportunity towards his reclamation.

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