this post was submitted on 21 Oct 2023
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Jahlil Okafor. Michael Beasley wasn't a major bust per se but he just loved weed more than basketball.
Okafor was just made for the wrong era. Dude was made for the 80s where post up games were more common, the half court was slower, and clunky post players were more common
I disagree. He's not fit for any era because he didn't seem he could mentally handle the pressure of being in the NBA at all. He lost his composure pretty early on when he shoved a fan in the street that one time. It was all downhill from there.
Okafor would have struggled even in 1980s and 1990s because he was a poor defensive player.
He was, but it's easier to play defense with less ground to cover and more ability to be physical with dudes. He probably wouldnt have been a + defender, but he might have had more of a chance at least.
You almost wonder if he’d been born in 2003 how does his career pan out? Beasley was an absolute monster one on one. I forget the story, someone can remind me, but he could allegedly beat lebron or kd 1 v 1 at a point in time I forget which
He's one of the only examples there is of a prospect with generational levels of pre-draft statistical production coming into the league and completely flaming out for non-injury reasons. There's definitely a non basketball related story there.
KD said that when they were kids Beasley was always better than him. Also Beasley stole his pizza. https://youtu.be/3frtWaANTmE?si=wDDmDlj4gJjPymPH
I just looked it up and the rumor is he used to be able to torch lebron 1 on 1. I guess Tom Haberstroh was the original source
Imagine beating both Kevin Durant and lebron James one on one and never making an all star team. Basketballs a funny game
Honest to god true story. I used to hoop with a current NBA player. I would beat him at one-on one and three on three every week when we met up. Eventually he just got better as he got older.
Judging players when they're young is difficult.
Well I think the Beasley beating Lebron story was when they both played for the heat
Yeah, Okafor is a good call.
Okafor was talked about plenty at the time. Time has passed and he's just kinda been forgotten. Not because he's a "sleeper" but just because he never really did anything, his limitations in college were never fixed. Duke won that National Championship off the back of Tyus Jones, Grayson Allen and Justise Winslow. Okafor had no impact.
I’m forever convinced that he would’ve been a multi time all star if he was born 10 years earlier