Jahlil Okafor still has a flickering chance to play this 2021-22 NBA season if he can impress the Atlanta Hawks.
The 25-year-old player was given a non-guaranteed deal by the Hawks per a report from Shams Charania of The Athletic. Hence, the 3rd overall pick of the 2015 NBA Draft will have to prove to head coach Nate McMillan that he could be of help to the team at training camp slated to start next month.
Okafor ended up with no team following a trade between the Detroit Pistons and the Brooklyn Nets in the DeAndre Jordan deal. The Pistons sent Okafor along with Sekou Doumbouya to the Nets but the former was waived last Sept. 9.
Although he started his NBA career on a high note, the stock of Okafor dwindled through the years. His numbers dwindled dramatically since being traded by the Sixers in 2017, ironically to the Nets. He went on to hold stints with the New Orleans Pelicans and the Pistons but it was clear that his numbers were never the same.
If last NBA season’s performance is to be a gauge, Okafor has his work cut out for him. He averaged 5.4 points and 2.4 rebounds in a measly 12.9 minutes of action with Detroit.
These were a far cry from his production with the Sixers in three seasons. He normed 14.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.1 blocks from 2015 to 2018.
It is the best option for Okafor for now with no other NBA team showing interest. He joins Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, A.J. Lawson and Johnny Hamilton as players who were also given non-guaranteed contracts.
It will not be easy but Okafor needs to show some semblance of his old self in the first three years of his NBA career. Also, a good showing is not limited to the Hawks. If he impresses, it could spark some interest from other teams in need of a backup big man.
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