THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, MARCH 12, 2015
PAGE 98
+
THE DAILY DEBATE
Which player should be first pick in the 2015 NBA draft?
Scott Chasen
@SChasenKU
KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS
For a freshman, Jahil Okafor has an incredibly polished post game, the likes of which have not been seen in the NCAA for years. However, while Okafor is dominant on the offensive side of the ball, he is a subpar defender at this point in his career.
Various analysts have criticized Okafor's defensive intensity, including Rob Dauster of NBC Sports, who said in a recent article that Okafor "really struggles" on that side of the ball.
For Karl-Anthony Towns, it's been the opposite story. Towns leads the nation in defensive ratings and is second in win shares per 40 minutes, according to Basketball-Reference.com. Those stats dictate what anyone who has extensively watched Towns this year would tell you: Per minute, Towns has proven himself to be one of the nation's most effective players, if not the most effective player.
While Okafor faces criticism for his performance on defense as a whole, there are really only two minor criticisms of Towns.
both of which are easy to move on from and see past.
First. Towns plays 20.7 minutes per game, which gives the impression he isn't playing well enough to earn more time on the court. However, this just isn't the case. Towns plays in a "platoon system" at Kentucky, where the leader in minutes, Aaron Harrison, only averages 25.8 minutes per game. There are eight players averaging more than 17 minutes per game at Kentucky this year, which goes to show that given the context, this criticism is rather absurd.
The other knock on Towns is he fouls a lot. Towns commits an average of 5.6 fouls per 40 minutes, but there is definitely a precedent here, as numerous big man prospects have had foul problems in college, before going on to thrive at the NBA level.
For example, Shaquille O'Neal, one of the NBA's all-time greatest centers, averaged 5.4 fouls per 40 minutes his freshman year in college, before going on to post the sixth most career points in NBA history at 28,596, according to Basketball-Reference.com.
Hakeem Olajuwon also had his fair share of foul problems in college, averaging 6.4 fouls per 40 minutes as a freshman.
However, that did not hinder his development either, as he finished at No.10 all-time in career points, No.13 in career rebounds and First in career-blocks in NBA history.
"PER MINUTE, TOWNS HAS PROVEN HIMSELF TO BE ONE OF THE NATION'S MOST EFFECTIVE PLAYERS, IF NOT THE MOST EFFEC- TIVE PLAYER."
Simply put, Towns is a more complete player than Okafor could ever hope to be, and his flaws are quite forgivable. Both will likely go on to become solid NBA players. But at this point in time, Towns has done far more to show he can be a dominant force on both ends, and that is why he should be selected first.
JAHLIL OKAFOR
Evan Riggs
@EvanRiggs19
Edited by Mitch Raznick
During the NBA draft, "upside" is a term that is often used when talking about draft prospects. But with the No.1 pick, you can't draft purely on upside; you need to go with the guy more likely to become a star in the NBA.
"OKAFOR IS MUCH MORE LIKELY TO BE A STAR IN THE NBA, AND THAT'S WHY HE SHOULD BE THE NO.1 PICK."
The debate of Karl-Anthony Towns or Jahilil Okafor as the top pick has ramped up in the last few weeks, due to Towns' magnificent play as of late. Towns has the higher upside of the two, but Okafor is the better player right now. Furthermore, Okafor is much more likely to be a star in
the NBA, and that's why he should be the No. 1 pick.
This season, Okafor has been dominant on offense, largely because he has one of the most mature post games we have ever seen from a college big man. He can score over either shoulder, and he is very comfortable scoring and passing out of a double team, which is a rare commodity for such a young player.
He averages 17.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.4 blocks per game in 30.7 minutes. He has only failed to score in double figures once in Duke's 31 games this season, and that was in a 94-51 Duke win. He's already shown the ability to be a go-to scorer, which is a must if you are going to be the No.1 pick.
Towns doesn't put up the numbers Okafor does, but that's because he doesn't have to. But there is no proof Towns can consistently be a great scorer. He averages 9.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game in just 20.7 minutes.
With Towns' athletic ability, he has the potential to develop a nice offensive game down the road. If becoming a great offensive player were
easy, every athletic NBA big man would do it.
towns will surely improve offensively, but once his athleticism goes away, he will have to reinvent his game a bit. Okafor, on the other hand, can rely on his masterful post moves.
Defensively, Towns is clearly the superior defender, but that doesn't mean Okafor couldn't make up some ground. Okafer has already shown the ability to protect the rim, averaging 1.4 blocks per game, just not as good as Towns at 2.4. But Okafer has a longer wingspan (7'5" to 7'3" for Towns) and has shown he can block shots without fouling. Okafer has yet to foul out this year, whereas Towns has done so five times while playing 10 fewer minutes per game.
In the NBA, great offense usually trumps great defense. And at the rate Okafar's post game has developed, there is no doubt he will be a great offensive player. As Indiana Pacers coach Frank Vogel once told NBA.com, "I keep trying to tell you guys, great offense beats great defense."
Edited by Mitch Raznick
---
+