As he slowly moves towards his 29th birthday, Jahlil Okafor hasn't completely said goodbye to the NBA yet. Proof of this is: The Athletic reports that he accepted an invitation from the Pacers to take part in their training campwhich will start from Tuesday.
A little surprise, the 3rd choice of the 2015 Draft, named in the best five rookies after his first season in Philadelphia (17.5 points and 7.0 rebounds), having not set foot on an NBA floor since May… 2021.
At the time, Jahlil Okafor was playing with the Pistons, after having moved to the Sixers, the Nets and the Pelicans (10.4 points and 4.7 rebounds on career average). Unable to find a base in the United States, he then went abroad, discovering China, Mexico (G-League), Spain and Puerto Rico since 2022.
Limited in defense and handicapped by his “old school” interior profile in the NBA, the former Duke resident will therefore have to pull out all the stops to convince the recent Eastern Conference finalists to offer him another chance in the Big League.
Especially sinceIndiana already has 15 players under contract, with Myles Turner and James Wiseman as the solutions at center, except that Wiseman and Kendall Brown's contracts are not fully guaranteed.
| Jahlil Okafor | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2015-16 | PHL | 53 | 30 | 50.8 | 16.7 | 68.6 | 2.3 | 4.7 | 7.0 | 1.2 | 2.6 | 0.4 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 17.5 |
| 2016-17 | PHL | 50 | 23 | 51.4 | 0.0 | 67.1 | 1.6 | 3.2 | 4.8 | 1.2 | 2.4 | 0.4 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 11.8 |
| 2017-18 * | All Teams | 28 | 13 | 55.8 | 25.0 | 72.4 | 0.8 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 0.4 | 1.8 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 6.3 |
| 2017-18 * | BRK | 26 | 13 | 56.6 | 25.0 | 76.0 | 0.7 | 2.3 | 2.9 | 0.4 | 1.7 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 6.4 |
| 2017-18 * | PHL | 2 | 13 | 44.4 | 0.0 | 50.0 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 4.5 | 0.5 | 3.5 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 5.0 |
| 2018-19 | NOP | 59 | 16 | 58.6 | 20.0 | 66.3 | 1.4 | 3.3 | 4.7 | 0.7 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 8.2 |
| 2019-20 | NOP | 30 | 16 | 62.3 | 33.3 | 64.5 | 1.6 | 2.6 | 4.2 | 1.2 | 2.2 | 0.2 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 8.1 |
| 2020-21 | DET | 27 | 13 | 61.8 | 22.2 | 70.8 | 0.9 | 1.6 | 2.4 | 0.5 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 5.4 |
| Total | 247 | 20 | 54.2 | 22.2 | 67.6 | 1.5 | 3.2 | 4.7 | 0.9 | 2.1 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 10.4 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
