Jahlil Okafor, Pistons Reportedly Agree to 2-Year Contract
Free-agent center Jahlil Okafor is reportedly going to be a member of the Detroit Pistons.
Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Okafor agreed to a two-year deal with Detroit.
The 24-year-old averaged 8.1 points on 62.3 percent shooting and 4.2 rebounds in 15.6 minutes per game for the New Orleans Pelicans, who started the former Duke star in nine games.
The 2015 NCAA champion's career started with much promise as he averaged 17.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game in his rookie year with the Philadelphia 76ers, but the debut of eventual All-Star big man Joel Embiid soon pushed him into the background.
The 76ers dealt Okafor to the Brooklyn Nets in 2017. He didn't see much court time in Brooklyn, but he finally got some chances to prove himself after he signed with the Pels in the summer of 2018.
He played 59 games (24 starts) in 2018-19, averaging 8.2 points on 58.6 percent shooting and 4.7 rebounds in just 15.8 minutes per game.
The No. 3 overall pick in the 2015 draft was also called upon this season when the team was without center Derrick Favors, who left the team for a month in November and December to grieve the death of his mother, Deandra.
Favors' hamstring and back injuries also prompted then-Pels head coach Alvin Gentry to put Okafor in the lineup, and the big man delivered in dominant fashion at times. Most notably, he had a 25-point, 14-rebound, five-assist night in a win over the Detroit Pistons on January 13.
He also followed up a 26-point game against the Denver Nuggets in November with a 15-point, 12-rebound double-double against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Okafor is talented enough on the offensive end, but his defense is a work in progress. Per ESPN.com, he ranks 60th among 72 qualified centers in defensive real plus-minus.
However, he's still young and has shown enough promise to at least be relied upon as a backup center. Okafor's defensive struggles and inability to spread the floor on offense may prevent a greater role right now (all but 10 of his shot attempts in 2019-20 were within 10 feet of the basket, per Basketball Reference). But he's proved capable as a spot starter and still has time to develop his game on both ends.
The Pistons needed help at center after trading Andre Drummond to the Cleveland Cavaliers in February. Wojnarowski reported on Thursday that Detroit wasn't extending a qualifying offer to Thon Maker.
Okafor isn't a difference-maker, but the Pistons are looking at a rebuild. Committing two years to a veteran big man who can provide scoring on the offensive end is a sound investment based on where the franchise is at heading into the 2020-21 season.
