5 Reasons Why Jahlil Okafor Will Be A Draft Bust

While we don't wish any ill on Duke big man Jahlil Okafor whatsoever, we're just not buying what he's selling as a projected top-two selection in the 2015 NBA Draft. Here's our list of 5 Reasons Why Jahlil Okafor Will Be A Draft Bust.

1. No Shooting Range

Okafor is an amazing scorer in the restricted area, but he's a dud from the mid-range on out. He has no consistent jumper, his 51% free throw percentage is a red flag and he doesn't project to grow into the type of hybrid big man scoring threat that the NBA is moving towards in the middle of the 2010s.

2. D+ Defense

Despite great size to his credit, Okafor lacks the instincts or polish of a true rim protector. At his current skill level, he's going to get bullied down low by both bigs and slashing backcourt threats with the lateral quickness to kill him on blow-bys to the rack.

3. Effort Level In Question

There were very distinct stretches of on-court minutes during his time at Duke where Okafor appeared to be coasting. Watching his game tapes back, you can catch him basically sleeping at the edge of the paint on the defensive end while his teammates scramble in their sets. That's a very troublesome sign for a potential franchise big.

4. Rebounding Numbers Not Elite

Most coaches at any level would love to have 11 rebounds per 40 minutes from their post players. However, that's not the # scouts are looking for when they're projecting a player out to be an automatic double-double at the NBA level.

5. Relative Size Issues

You'll hear the Brook Lopez/Okafor comparisons multiple times before the draft takes place, but consider this -- Lopez is two inches taller than the 6'11" Okafor, which is just enough to give him the angle from above to rain shots in from the pain. Jahlil's still a dominant post scorer, but he's not going to break opposing bigs down with his size as many are led to believe he will.

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