The Pelicans and Hornets game on March 14 didn't have much to watch, the Hornets had basically lost their hopes of the playoffs, the lotto signing was basically no possibility of moving forward, and the Pelicans' desire to win was not on the same level. The outcome of the game was also as expected, and the Pelicans won the game. But this match's set of matches may be used as a talking point by many people, and Dwight Howard once again confronted Emeka Okafor.
Speaking about what it felt like to play against Okafor, Howard said: "When we're on the court, we'll talk trash and fight with all our might, but there's only love between us and I'm happy to see him back in the NBA and get fit again. We like to play against each other, and we do that every time we fight. "It is always a happy thing to know when he meets others.
Well, that's right, the first two centers in the draft met again on the field, and the last time was five years ago. In five years, Howard went from the Lakers to the Rockets to the Hawks and then to the current Hornets, and Okafor left the field of vision for five years after being traded to the Suns for a herniated cervical disc season. In their first encounter five years later, Howard had 22 points and 11 rebounds on 9-of-12 shooting and Okafor had 14 points and eight rebounds on 7-of-14 shooting. Five years later they are no longer standing in the center of the stadium, and even drifting further and further away from the current trend of the times.
You can see from the original draft picks what basketball was like in that era, and the two rookie centers pressed ben gordon, Livingston, Iguodala and others firmly occupy the top two of the draft forecast. Okafor's scouting report at the time was: excellent defense, terrifying blocking ability, full of energy, positive attitude, is a reliable team player. Howard's scouting report is: dominant-level physical performance, can play multiple positions, the dominance of the penalty area is outstanding, the only drawback is inexperience.
In the end, the Magic chose Howard, who was younger and more physically strong, but Okafor won the best rookie of the year. Okafor, who played in a different environment, proved to be unaffected, and he was still able to play 15.1 points, 10.9 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in NBA-level games. He played 73 matches, including 47 double-doubles, including 19 consecutive double-doubles. It was also the only season in which Okafor overpowered Howard, and the best rookie and rookie squad were also the only two honors Okafor received.
As one of the Bobcats' first players, Okafor accompanied the Bobcats for five years, so I wouldn't say that Okafor was a parallelist in any case, and he dedicated his peak years to this team. During the Bobcat era, Okafor was able to consistently contribute double-doubles every season. Then he came to the New Orleans Hornets, and a few years later he returned here again, only to change from wasps to pelicans, and Howard to Charlotte, only now it has changed from bobcats to wasps.
Toward the start of the 2017 season, Okafor was selected for the 76ers' training camp, along with his nephew Jalil Okafor. Not surprisingly, Okafor didn't make the final roster, but he was still waiting for the call to return to the league, which eventually made him wait. As soon as he came on the court, he gave five big hats in the game against the Heat, and the form remained good for five years.
In this alliance, a lot of people leave every year, and no one remembers those who leave. But when you stand on the field again after a long absence, unceremoniously fanning the baskets of young people who are one round younger than you, everyone will remember your name. Emeka Okafor, his basketball story isn't over yet.