Can You Still Build an NBA Offense Around a Center Like Jahlil Okafor?

SALT LAKE CITY — If the 2015 NBA Finals taught us anything, it's that the NBA is getting smaller. To wit:

1. The Golden State Warriors sat 7-footer Andrew Bogut in favor of 6'7" forward Draymond Green.
2. The Cleveland Cavaliers often rolled with 6'8" LeBron James and 6'9" Tristan Thompson in their frontcourt, leaving 7'1" Timofey Mozgov on the bench.
3. Golden State's regular-season starting lineup—with Bogut—had a net rating of minus-12.2 during the Finals. The small lineup of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, Harrison Barnes and Green was plus-21.8.

Speed and versatility trumped size and tradition.

As teams all over the NBA are looking for their own Draymonds, the Philadelphia 76ers represent the counterculture, taking three centers in three consecutive draft lotteries.

The youngest of the group, 19-year-old Jahlil Okafor, made his NBA debut on Monday in Salt Lake City as one of the headliners of Utah Jazz Summer League.

The 6'11", back-to-the-basket post defies the small-ball trend sweeping through several front offices. The third overall pick's old-school offensive game is reminiscent of the 1990s, when big men like Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O'Neal and Patrick Ewing ruled the league.

The 76ers, though, understand that in the modern NBA, even someone as talented as Okafor has to be able to adapt. The emphasis on space and three-point shooting isn't going away.

In fact, the 2014-15 season saw the highest league average for three-point attempt rate (percentage of field-goal attempts from three-point range) ever at .268. And that number has gone up in all but two seasons since the lockout in 1998.

That doesn't mean abandoning what Okafor already does well. It just means supplementing it.

The Small-Ball Era

Rick Bowmer/Associated Press

Even teams that frequently go small still keep a 5 with traditional size on the floor for pick-and-rolls. Surrounding that set with three shooters is small ball in a nutshell.

If four or five guys in a lineup command a little attention around the three-point line, there should be more space in the paint.

Okafor didn't get a chance to play much pick-and-roll as a Duke Blue Devil. Head coach Mike Krzyzewski rightfully kept him under the rim, where NCAA defenders were often helpless against Okafor's spins, drop steps and hook shots.

Against NBA defenders, a traditional post-up is a little tougher. The increased athleticism makes it likelier for a defender to be able to double down to the post and still recover to a shooter.

At least that's the case if the use of the 5 becomes predictable.

Following their second game of summer-league action, against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, Okafor talked about his coaches' desire to see him shake things up rather than just stay on the low block.

"I was working on certain things the coaches were asking of me, which is spacing the floor...and rolling hard," Okafor said. To fit into the small-ball era, a big has to be able to display that kind of versatility.

Pick-and-roll sets haven't been terribly common for him in Salt Lake City, and when they have been used, he's often popped instead of rolled. Those catches have resulted in a few moments of indecision.

As he starts to knock down more of those pick-and-pop jumpers, defenses will have to pay closer attention to him outside. And when he rolls, going hard will force a collapse to the paint, leaving more room outside for shooters.

As defenses start to load up on that, popping once or twice will make sense. Reading a defense and keeping it honest is critical.

Okafor's just not reading them consistently yet.

"In the NBA, today, he's going to have to learn how to do both," Sixers assistant coach/director of player development Billy Lange said Tuesday, "Again, part of his development: post-up, pick-and-roll, pick-and-roll, post-up. So we keep talking to him, 'How do you go from inside to out, back to in...and outside to inside?' And it's all part of the learning curve. Hopefully, through two summer leagues, he'll be better at it."

As Okafor becomes more comfortable as a roll man, reading defenses will be more natural. And Philadelphia's offense can truly take advantage of his talent as he begins to counter what those defenses show him.

Going Big

Rick Bowmer/Associated Press

Pick-and-roll, pace-and-space and the small-ball revolution make for entertaining basketball, but Philadelphia should still look to take advantage of Okafor's natural abilities as an old-school big man.

On Monday against the San Antonio Spurs' summer squad, we got our first look at how Okafor might try to adapt his traditional post skills to a game that's increasingly moving away from the rim.

Most pace-and-space teams in the NBA are now using their centers as little more than rim-divers in pick-and-rolls. Again, those good, hard cuts to the hole by players like Tyson Chandler or DeAndre Jordan can suck defenders into the paint, leaving extra space on the perimeter.

For the most part, Philadelphia created that space by simply starting Okafor on the low block, swinging the ball around the perimeter, waiting for him to either re-establish position or seal off the backside and entering the ball.

Sounds like your basic post-up from the 80s or 90s, right?

The difference now is that the other four players on the floor have a green light to shoot the three. Think the regular-season Spurs, only Okafor's starting on the low block instead of the high post, where Tim Duncan often gets the ball.

Two problems presented themselves for Okafor in Salt Lake City, though. He could control one but not the other.

First, the general pace of the NBA is increased by the mere fact that he no longer has a 35-second shot clock to work with.

"The only thing that was different was the 24 seconds," Okafor said following his 18-point, 10-rebound performance against the Spurs. "Couple times realizing there was already five seconds left."

Experience with the shortened clock should be about all Okafor needs to address that. Finding a balance between patience and decisiveness, and knowing when to attack or kick to a shooter are critical.

That brings us to the second problem: Those shooters haven't been creating much space for Okafor. Over the three-game stretch in Salt Lake City, the Sixers shot just 15-of-63 (23.8 percent) from three.

And you can't just say that's a summer-league problem. Philadelphia shot a woeful 32 percent from three during the 2014-15 season, good for 29th in the league.

One offseason addition who might help with that problem is Nik Stauskas, who was acquired through a trade with the Sacramento Kings. He struggled as a rookie but did shoot 42.1 percent from three after the All-Star break.

Another is second-round draft pick Richaun Holmes, who hit 41.9 percent of his threes during his final season at Bowling Green State.

Shooting development from Isaiah Canaan, Robert Covington and any of the Sixers' other young players would also go a long way toward opening up the paint for Okafor.

In the meantime, Okafor may bear the responsibility of creating space. Improved awareness on the offensive end, a better feel for the speed of the game and a willingness to embrace the pick-and-roll are all crucial.

Basketball may not be a big man's game anymore, but that doesn't mean Okafor can't thrive in it.

Statistics courtesy of NBA.com unless otherwise noted.

Andy Bailey covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him @AndrewDBailey.