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Don't forget we still have Didi.
I think we should keep Jah at least for 1 offseason so that while Zion is working on his 3pt shot and conditioning, that he also spends time at the Okafor Academy of Silky Post-Moves
I mean. Zion will be a better post scorer than Jah but we can't say that he is now. He's played two games. The Spurs did an amazing job shielding him from the basket. Those four 3s were absolutely stellar but they happened because SA had successfully stymied Zion inside. He has a lot to learn. And Jah does have this silky smooth style whereas Zion is more lighting fast with bullish strength. As he gets older, Zion will need to go to the silkiness as his speed diminishes.
Good positive energy.
But also, yo mama's fat.
I'm not going out of my way to keep Okafor here now as prep for when Zion's speed starts dropping off, 9 or 10 years in the future.
That said, I absolutely can say that Zion is a better post scorer than Jah, for a few reasons. First is college, where Zion showed off consistent post ability at a level equal to Jah's or better in far more minutes than Jah's been playing in the NBA (admittedly against comparatively lesser opposition). Secondly (and more importantly) is that Zion has a skill that's incredibly valuable that Jah doesn't; the ability to turn everything into a layup.
If you get Jah posting someone up 8 feet from the basket, he may be able to hit the spin move into a dunk, but fairly often we see him resorting to floaters and hook shots. Now, he's fairly good at those, but 'good' at hook shots is still relatively bad compared to layups: Zion, by comparison, has an uncanny knack and sense of body control that lets him turn post shots into at-rim attempts rather than farther paint shots.
Maybe I'm getting on the horse a little early with this, and I can understand why you'd want to let the sample size build up a bit more, but I legit think Zion has more ability to translate a post-touch into a successful scoring possession than Okafor does, today.
The sample size is two games. We've already seen in one of those Zion's post game get dismantled. The other one was ok. But we also saw Jah absolutely destroy the Nuggets twice when Zion just did ok against them.
College is irrelevant. So we have a two game sample size that all points to Jah. It's a weird argument because Zion will eventually be one of the best post players of all time but for not this is like saying the best college football team xould beat an NFL team. Zion could learn a lot from Jah. I wouldn't keep Jah here just for that, either. But Jah is still young and has a lot to offer on his own.
Part of a post game is the ability to pass out from the post. In the Spurs game, Zion got doubled from the first touch and consistently made good reads and passes out to shooters and cutters; Jah isn't capable of that. While it's true that Zion only registered 3 assists in that game, he also registered 6 potential assists; that is, passes made directly to a shooter who just missed the shot. The fact that Zion had 9 shot-creating passes in barely 18 minutes, largely out of double teams in the post, is actually another example of why his post game is better than Jah's.
That said, do you legitimately think Jahlil Okafor has a long-term future on this team? Cause I don't.
See, I feel like making the Love trade would only cement Okafor's uselessness further. Okafor cannot play any position other than the 5, and with Love, Hayes, and Zion all taking minutes at that position, it's hard to see him ever getting a look in. Unless you're assuming something like a Love at the 4, Okafor at the 5 lineup, which is a recipe for defensive disaster.
imo okafor future is depending on if gentry is our coach next season.....if we get a coach who dont do the small ball thing and like post scores then okafor has a chance at a good price...
im just waiting to see if we make a trade and see what kind of player we bring in and total of years because that will give me some type of answer to if we are keeping gentry next year.......i mean we cant make a trade and bring in players that dont fit gentry game....that would be like giving gentry monty players when we first signed gentry as coach approach all over again....
I agree that Love + Zion would be fantastic offensively, and I also think Love + Jax would be workable for the same reason, and given my love of the big/big PnR, Zion+Jax has a lot of potential too. I just don't really see how Okafor gets on the court with any of that.
How do we characterize JAX' Post Game? Offensive Game?
Moreover, how do we characterize JAX' overall game?
Is he really a 20 minute a night player like some claim (especially if the Pels are still fighting for the playoffs)?
He's literally been playing about 20mpg so far this season, as the Pels have been fighting for a playoff spot, and has been one of the better players on the roster. Right now he's a garbage man/lob-catcher/roll man on offense and a rim protector on D. You expect that to remain next year but to possibly expand as he spends the summer putting on some weight/muscle and working on his game.
Jax does not really have a developed post-game as of today.
You know, Jax may turn out to be a better 4 or 3 . Time will tell
The more JAX plays (right now) the better the chances of the Pelicans losing. Most of the 13 game losing streak 'featured' the 'JAX-in-the-Box". The team righted itself when a real center (Favors) was re-inserted into the line up. Before he came back, I said that JAX' minutes would be reduced when Zion returned. It's only a two game sample, but it seems that his minutes are trending in that direction.
I would love to be Hayes' agent; his upside is incredible. But, right now, he's a confused mess.
Last edited by As I See It; 01-26-2020 at 02:32 PM.
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