Jahlil Okafor
Statline: Tuesday, Jan. 13 vs. Miami: 15 points, 6-of-13 shooting, 15 rebounds; Saturday, Jan. 17 vs. Louisville: 18 points, 8-of-10 shooting, seven rebounds
The good: Jahlil Okafor was Duke’s most consistent player in a week during which the Blue Devils suffered their second straight loss Tuesday. Although the Hurricane double teams disrupted his rhythm and reduced his offensive efficiency, Okafor remained a force down low and tried to keep Duke in the game with his offensive rebounding. The center was exposed on the defensive end in pick-and-roll situations, but showed effort that many of his teammates did not.
Against Louisville, Okafor demonstrated his patience on the offensive end. Despite a slow first half, Okafor came out strong in the last 20 minutes. He took what the defense gave him and did not force bad shots, scoring 14 of his 18 points in the second half and combining to score 37 points and grab 14 rebounds with frontcourt mate Amile Jefferson. Jefferson had the best game of his career partially in part because of the attention Okafor drew.
The bad: The loss to Miami exposed Okafor’s limitations on the defensive end. Okafor struggled when coming out of the paint to defend high pick-and-rolls. He looked flat-footed and did not always help as Quinn Cook or Tyus Jones tried to get around picks. The six-time ACC Rookie of the Week winner also did little to protect the rim once the Hurricane guards penetrated Duke’s interior defense when he was caught out of position. The decision to play zone against Louisville hid Okafor’s weaknesses as it limited the Cardinals use of screens and prevented any drives into the lane and got the 6-foot-11 big man back to communicating with his teammates, but the Chicago native's mobility defensively remains a major question.
The bottom line: Duke will mix zone with its more typical man-to-man defense in upcoming matchups based on its efficacy and the opponent. Okafor will have to do a better job of protecting the basket and defending pick-and-rolls in either case and communicate more, but the Chicago native has not hit an offensive wall yet in ACC play. The AP Preseason National Player of the Year leads the conference with 18.9 points per game on 67.5 percent shooting despite constant double teams and is getting used to picking his spots when the doubles come.
Honorable mention: After his subpar performance against N.C. State, Jefferson played two of his best games against Miami and Louisville. Jefferson contributed 33 points on a combined 13-of-16 shooting in both matchups. The 6-foot-9 forward also has snagged at least seven rebounds in his last three games. He demonstrated his ability to convert at the free throw line when he made seven of his nine attempts against the Cardinals, even though he typically struggles in that department. His 19-point effort against Louisville was a career high.
The Blue Devils have recently struggled to score from the perimeter and have shot just 33 percent from long range since its Dec. 3 win at then-No. 2 Wisconsin. As long as the struggles from the outside continue, Duke will need more strong offensive performances out of Jefferson to give Okafor more room to operate.
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