HS All American game is on espn news; Larry Brown landed the starting PG

This Okafor kid is friggin huge man

[QUOTE=GOBB]This Okafor kid is friggin huge man[/QUOTE]

is that suppose to be bad or good for him ?

I hope Myles Turner changes the game and goes to SMU. :oldlol:

[QUOTE=veilside23]is that suppose to be bad or good for him ?[/QUOTE]

Good, legit big man.

[QUOTE=GOBB]This Okafor kid is friggin huge man[/QUOTE]

He's a [B]big time[/B] prospect. He'd most likely be slightly ahead of Wiggins, Parker, and Embiid as the #1 pick in this draft. Saw him a good bit in international play and he's a special, special talent. Not only is he massive, but he's got the rare combination of footwork, post moves, and touch for a high school big man.

[QUOTE=Grinder]He's a [B]big time[/B] prospect. He'd most likely be slightly ahead of Wiggins, Parker, and Embiid as the #1 pick in this draft. Saw him a good bit in international play and he's a special, special talent. Not only is he massive, but he's got the rare combination of footwork, post moves, and touch for a high school big man.[/QUOTE]

Sounds really good man. I've seen the HS videos and its hard to gauge his size vs others. Meaning like how big he really is vs puny HS'ers. But in this game? Got damn its so noticeable. Massive is the perfect description for him. Geeze

Love me some Stanley Johnson. That dude is going to be a stud at Zona.

[QUOTE=Jailblazers7]Love me some Stanley Johnson. That dude is going to be a stud at Zona.[/QUOTE]

I like Mudiay, that kid is explosive.

Okafor seemed to struggle an awful amount when he matched up against Turner or Alexander. Couldn't finish over their length and plays a little below the rim based on what he did in traffic. I don't buy his hype. He will do well in college because few can match his size at that age. In the pros, 15-17/10. :confusedshrug: Solid, but he's not some next great center.

I liked Stanley Johnson and D'Angelo Russell. Russell has that Ginobili/Harden looking game. Johnson just looked like a monster.

[QUOTE=JimmyMcAdocious]Okafor seemed to struggle an awful amount when he matched up against Turner or Alexander. Couldn't finish over their length and plays a little below the rim based on what he did in traffic. I don't buy his hype. He will do well in college because few can match his size at that age. In the pros, 15-17/10. :confusedshrug: Solid, but he's not some next great center.

I liked Stanley Johnson and D'Angelo Russell. Russell has that Ginobili/Harden looking game. Johnson just looked like a monster.[/QUOTE]

Okafor was MVP of the game so he must not have struggled too bad. I don't think that you can go off of one or two plays and pass judgments on the kid. I have seen this guy Okafor play a number of times and let me tell you, don't sleep on this kid's quicks. His foot speed and quickness for a guy his size is rare. He can beat you any number of ways... over you, through you or around you. Kid is the real deal.

...

It was actually pretty much every possession against Turner and Alexander. He shot poorly from the field in general (especially for a big in an allstar game) and most of his made buckets were clean up shit or typical no allstar defense. Mudiay should have been mvp for the team if you watched the game. Okafor was the hometown kid and #1 recruit so you do the math... They announced his shared MVP award literally within a minute of the game. It was predetermined.

You learn not to take away much from allstar games. But I thought it was interesting how much he struggled against guys his size. I have seen him play before too, but never against someone of his same stature and it was rather evident he wasn't too comfortable.

Like I said, should dominate in college because he won't face Turner or Alexander every night. In the NBA, tho? I don't buy him just yet. Not like I'm saying he will be Kwame either. 15-17/10 is pretty damn good. There's only 7 players in the entire NBA who average 15+/10+. One just outside that is Vucevic (14.2/11) and I saw that level of a prospect.

We will see. I'm wrong often and don't we know the NBA could use another great center.

I think what you are missing JimmyA is how Okafor always got his shot off and missed a number of bunnies that he normally makes with Myles Turner guarding him. He even missing a dunk. So it wasn't like Myles Turner was doing anything special - Okafor just missed a few shots that he normally makes. It happens.

I also liked the way he used his massive body to back Myles Turner down and get off a number of shots at point blank range. As Jaylen Rose said, "he looks for the contact." Then a couple of possessions later he simply went around Karl Towns to score. That ability to bang and use that massive body and then turn around and in the next possession use finesse, quickness and foot speed to beat his man is super rare.

As for Myles Turner, I liked his range and length. I was not impressed with his vertical leap and foot speed. From what I could see Turner is not a very good athlete. Go back and watch the game closely, he moves in slow motion and can barely get off the ground - shorter players were out jumping him for rebounds. That said, you can't teach height. I think he will be good. I could be wrong, but I just don't see the athleticism needed to be great.

...

You say he missed bunnies he normally makes and I say he missed them because he's played against NBA sized bodies and length. We are actually agreeing on most of the other stuff.

I was impressed with his one mid J, free throws went down (good touch?), and that one possession where he banged down low a couple times before he missed the layup. I think it was against Turner? The latter at least showed patience, which you don't often see anymore, and obviously the willingness be physical.

Not that sold on Turner either. I have only seen him once other against HYCA and their tallest player is Justin Jackson. He was impressive, but he did it against a bunch of 5 something, non-college players. I'm curious how his game develops because he has a real nice shooting touch. I hope he doesn't rely on it too much. Not sure what his post game is like.

As far as the NBA goes? I liked Johnson, Mudiay, and Vaughn the best. Oubre is interesting based on what I have seen before. Not on that game. I thought he was terrible yesterday. Like Looney a lot too, tho not sure what his NBA position is. Then the bigs. Russell is the most intriguing to me. Wish he had a bigger natural frame.

[QUOTE=JimmyMcAdocious]Okafor seemed to struggle an awful amount when he matched up against Turner or Alexander. Couldn't finish over their length and plays a little below the rim based on what he did in traffic. I don't buy his hype. He will do well in college because few can match his size at that age. In the pros, 15-17/10. :confusedshrug: Solid, but he's not some next great center.

I liked Stanley Johnson and D'Angelo Russell. Russell has that Ginobili/Harden looking game. Johnson just looked like a monster.[/QUOTE]

Jimmy, I think the all-star game type of environment is the worst possible setting for a guy like Okafor to show his skills. The uptempo style of the game and lack of rhythm and structure really makes it tough for a kid who primarily plays in the post to shine. During the FIBA u20 championship (none of those guys are as highly rated as Alexander or Turner, I know), he was going up against some long, highly rated 7 footers and had no issue finding his shot. What impressed me is that he didn't always try to finish [I]over[/I] length but rather showed an advanced understanding of how to finish around a defender or create space to get his shot off despite being double and triple teamed.

I haven't seen a ton of these guys play much but the top 5 guys from this class that have impressed me the most are:
1. Okafor
2. Towns (will be in the discussion for the #1 pick if he can get a clue on defense)
3. Mudiay
4. Winslow
5. Stanley Johnson

Right, I addressed that. I feel like you guys are getting, for a lack of a better word, upset that I don't think he will be a superstar. Because I said he would probably average numbers that only 7 players in the league currently average and compared him to Vuc level (or Asik or Pek). Not the same player, just general range of value and production.

So clarify for me, how good do you think Okafor will be in the NBA? I just don't see a franchise player. A good center. A starting center. Maybe a couple allstar appearances if Roy Hibbert can make one. Not a franchise center.

[QUOTE=JimmyMcAdocious]Right, I addressed that. I feel like you guys are getting, for a lack of a better word, upset that I don't think he will be a superstar. Because I said he would probably average numbers that only 7 players in the league currently average and compared him to Vuc level (or Asik or Pek). Not the same player, just general range of value and production.

So clarify for me, how good do you think Okafor will be in the NBA? I just don't see a franchise player. A good center. A starting center. Maybe a couple allstar appearances if Roy Hibbert can make one. Not a franchise center.[/QUOTE]

2 allstar games. 2 MVP awards. Okafor killed it at the Jordan Brand Classic. Eventually you gotta recognize their is a reason dude is #1 in every recruiting service in the country.