The CBA semi-finals are in full swing, with two foreign players from all four teams, With Jarrod Jones and Jalil Okafor, Shanghai with Jamal Franklin and Von A. Vonle, Guangdong with Richard Ledo and Clarence Wiems, and Liaoning with Kyle Fogg and Eric Morland.
These eight foreign aides basically have NBA experience, in the NBA can not go down to play in the CBA to make a living, in the NBA draft picks highest and most famous is Jalil Okafor, he is 2 meters 11, weighs 122 kilograms, arm span reached 2 meters 26, low scoring methods are rich and diverse, there are accurate basket hooks and soft jump shots, the inside line foot is extremely excellent, the draft template has two: the lower limit Isle Jefferson, the upper limit Tim Duncan.
In 2015, Okafor was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the third overall pick in the first round, and the previous year the team had already selected Joel Embiid, who was also an interior player, but Embiid was in the recovery stage when Okafor joined, and Okafor got enough playing time in his rookie season to play a brilliant performance.
In the 2015-2016 season, he averaged 30 minutes per game, averaging 17.5 points, 7 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.4 steals, 1.2 blocks, shooting 50.8%, and was selected to the best rookie team for his outstanding performance.
Embiid's comeback in the 2016-2017 season, he is taller, faster, more flexible than Okafor, more offensive means, more soft shooting, not only can score near the three-second zone, but also shoot two points, or even shoot three-pointers, his performance on the defensive end is even more incomparable to Okafor, the 76ers naturally put the focus of cultivation on him, Okafor's number of appearances and playing time have decreased sharply.
Okafor was very frustrated by the lack of reuse, and his performance became worse and worse, and then he was traded by the team to the Nets, and that season he played only 28 games, averaging no more than 13 minutes per game, which was very unfavorable for young players who needed to grow up, he spent years and years in dissatisfaction, and finally went from a talented player to a role player, and after a few years of mixing in the NBA, he failed to prove himself, and fell to the point of no ball.
On February 23, 2022, Okafor signed with Zhejiang Guangsha to represent the team in the third phase of the regular season. On March 2, Okafor made his debut in the match between Guangsha and Sichuan, starting 21 minutes, shooting 7 of 13 from the field, 2 of 3 from the free throw line, contributing 16 points, 8 rebounds and 1 assist, helping Guangsha beat Sichuan.
Now that it has been more than a month since he joined Guangsha, the CBA regular season has been in the playoff semifinals, how is Okafor performing, and has he not been able to cash in the NBA with talent in the CBA? Can he dominate the game in the CBA?
Okafor played 10 games for Guangsha, averaging 24.8 minutes per game, 14.9 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.3 steals and 0.6 blocks, shooting 61.4% from the field. He has played three games so far in the playoffs, averaging 23.3 minutes per game, averaging 11.7 points, 12.7 rebounds, 2 assists, 0.3 steals and 1.7 blocks per game, shooting 51.9% from the field.
Okafor's performance is not outstanding, as a foreign player, his regular season statistics are not as good as some of the domestic interior line, shooting percentage is the only fig leaf. By the playoffs, he averaged fewer points per game than he had in the regular season, but fortunately he was aggressive enough to grab a lot of rebounds and give away some blocks, and did a good job of protecting rebounds and rims.
Okafor's range is not far, the sense of space is not very good, when paired with Hu Jinqiu, it will make the basket become very crowded, but it limits Hu Jinqiu's play, although Okafor is the first starter, but the playing time is not as good as another foreign aid, Jarrod Jonesgao, the head coach prefers to let Jones and Hu Jinqiu partner, Okafor needs to support the inside line of the Guangsha team when Hu Jinqiu is off.
Okafor's performance in the first round of the playoffs was not good, but in the first game against Shanghai, he had a double-double of 20 points and 14 rebounds on 8-of-11 shooting, and also delivered 4 assists, 1 steal and 3 blocks.
He failed to cash in on his talent in the CBA and did not dominate the CBA game, but as long as he plays 20 points and 14 rebounds, plus Hu Jinqiu and Sun Minghui, the Guangsha team is hopeful to win the CBA championship, let's wait and see!