Dec 22, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor (8) reacts as he walks back onto the court after a timeout in the fourth quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at Wells Fargo Center. The Memphis Grizzlies won 104-90. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
AM: Advanced stats aren’t particularly kind to him, but Jahlil Okafor looks to be making some exceptional plays and showing a wide variety of moves for a rookie big man. How do you feel he’s shaping up all things considered?
JW: Jahlil Okafor is certainly fun to watch, and will give the Sixers a good chunk of their highlight reel on any given night. And you’re right, his moves are nice. He can hit a variety of shots and his spin move is absolutely deadly for anyone guarding him.
As far as how he’s shaping up, he’s doing better than I would have expected. He’s practically been given the keys to the car, and hasn’t crashed it (on the court, that is). With rookies, it’s really hard to tell sometimes. We see that with a lot of these Sixers. Christian Wood, who was once called a first round talent, went undrafted and then hasn’t fit in well with the Sixers and now plays most of his games in the D-League. Some rookies bust, and Okafor was not one of them. I expected him to be fairly average, but he has blown away (my) expectations.
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