Krzyzewski: Okafor could grow to become Duke's best big man

Following Saturday's tilt against Fairfield, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski showered praise on freshman Tyus Jones by comparing the point guard to former Blue Devil great Tommy Amaker.

After Duke's 81-71 win against Michigan State in Indianapolis Tuesday night, it was freshman center Jahlil Okafor's turn for recognition, specifically where the Chicago native could potentially land on the list of great Duke big men. Krzyzewski stopped short of calling Okafor "iconic"—saying that only winning will earn you that status—but still placed the freshman in great company.

"He has a chance to be the best one," Krzyzewski said, comparing Okafor to former Blue Devil Elton Brand, who played two years in Durham and was named National Player of the Year before being selected with the first overall pick in the 1999 NBA draft by Okafor's hometown Chicago Bulls. "He still has to play really well to be as good as Elton."

Elaborating on the different situations Brand and Okafor faced on the court, Krzyzewski noted that Okafor is more of Duke's focal point offensively, whereas getting the ball inside to Brand was not as high a priority, given the talented wing players surrounding him, including Shane Battier and Mike Dunleavy. Likewise, Okafor has plenty of talent surrounding him, but Krzyzewski said the attention he commands and his passing ability is what helps his teammates get their open looks.

Okafor faced his first bout with foul trouble Tuesday night, picking up his fourth personal with just less than nine minutes remaining in what was still a wide-open contest. Tyus Jones and the Blue Devils made a late spurt with Okafor on the bench to close out the game, but persistent foul trouble is something Duke cannot afford from its talented big man.

"He just has to learn what he can do. He got called for a couple offensive fouls, and people are going to bang on him," Krzyzewski said. "I thought he handled things well, but people are going to play multiple guys on him. What they didn’t do tonight is double him, and he’ll see that too. It’s a learning curve for him, and maybe by the time we start conference play he’ll really be good."

If Okafor isn't really good already, it's a little scary to think about what he might look like come January.