In one of the feel good stories to emerge from last season, Okafor was able to find his way into the rotation for the Pelicans and was even somewhat relevant in deeper leagues, despite being out of the league for the previous four-plus years. After DeMarcus Cousins went down, Okafor gave Anthony Davis some much needed rest, and he managed to block 1.0 shot and pull down 4.6 rebounds per game in just 13.0 minutes of action. While he'll return as a reserve, Okafor is unlikely to achieve Fantasy relevance in 2018-19, barring an injury or two to the Pelicans' frontcourt.
After a very steady year in Washington, Okafor sure had a dramatic early autumn. First, in late September, he was diagnosed with a herniated C4 cervical disk in his neck and labeled as "out indefinitely". Then in late October the Wizards moved Okafor and his expiring contract to Phoenix for Marcin Gortat and other players. The Suns are in full Riggin' for Wiggins mode and are happy to give all their center minutes to rookies Len and Plumlee. Plus it's doubtful that Okafor returns before January. Unless you are in an extremely deep keeper league, cross Okafor off your draft list.
The Wizards were in the lower half of the league in rebounding, so the acquisition of Okafor is a plus. He missed most of last season due to injury so the Wizards are hoping that he stays injury-free and averages a double-double as he has in five of his eight seasons. Okafor also brings defense to Washington that the Wizards sorely lacked last season. The combination of Nene and Okafor on the floor will definitely help the Wizards on the glass.
The former No. 2 overall pick was one of the more consistent double-double threats in the NBA through his first five seasons with Charlotte, but his production has dropped off a bit in his two seasons since joining New Orleans. The 29-year-old center averaged 10.4 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 2010-11 - numbers that are nearly identical to his 2009-10 campaign when he was seeing three fewer minutes of run per game. One positive from playing in New Orleans, however, is getting feeds from all-world point guard Chris Paul who helped Okafor shoot a career-best 57.3 percent from the floor last season. Unfortunately the same can’t be said about Okafor’s free-throw percentage, which was below 60.0 percent (56.2) for the fourth consecutive season. While Okafor’s offense appears to have leveled off these past two seasons, he actually has some upside in that area going forward. With David West set for free agency once the NBA lockout ends, Okafor could end up being the Hornets’ primary low-post option by default. Even if West re-signs with New Orleans, Okafor will be a decent double-double option who contributes in blocks, but the likelihood of West leaving makes Okafor as appealing of a fantasy option as he’s been since joining the Hornets.
During his first year in New Orleans last season, Okafor saw his minutes drop and as a result, produced career-lows across the board, including ppg (10.4), rpg (9.1) and bpg (1.6) while shooting 56.2 percent from the line. After displaying serious durability concerns over his first three years in the league, Okafor has remarkably missed zero games over the past three seasons. Even in a down year in 2009-10, Okafor was hardly without value, and it's safe to expect a bounce back in rebounding and scoring this season. Still, his low post game simply has never developed offensively, and it's safe to say Okafor has failed to live up to his expectations coming out of UCONN (to think, some thought he should be taken ahead of Dwight Howard at the time). Although it's probably at the Hornets' chagrin (he has four years and $52 million left on his contract), Okafor is locked in as New Orleans' starting center.
Okafor proved for the third consecutive season that he’s a walking double-double, pouring in 13.2 ppg and grabbing 10.1 boards per game. More importantly, the former Huskie managed to play in all 82 games for the second straight year, squashing durability concerns that followed him after injuries sidelined him in college and during his second year. Okafor was traded to New Orleans for Tyson Chandler this offseason, teaming him with all-world point guard Chris Paul. Expect Paul’s court vision and crisp passing to improve Okafor’s offense, especially his field-goal percentage which was already at a healthy 50.6 percent for his career. Unfortunately, Paul’s presence won’t aid Okafor at the free-throw line, where he shot just 59.4 percent in 2008-09. Despite being undersized, Okafor is a monster on the defensive end of the court, holding his own in one-on-one situations and excelling in help coverage. His aggressiveness on defense end led to 1.7 blocks per game last season, but he was still able to avoid foul trouble thanks to great timing. The move to New Orleans should benefit Okafor’s all-around game. His defensive numbers should translate to the new squad, as he’ll assume the role of defensive anchor for the Hornets, and Okafor’s offense will see a slight boost across the board thanks to Paul’s ability to create for his teammates.
Despite some of his counting numbers declining last season, Okafor took a major step forward by proving that he is physically able to start all 82 games of an NBA season after missing 71 over the previous two years. Okafor used his athleticism and excellent timing to post strong defensive numbers (10.7 rpg, 1.7 bpg, .8 spg) while also contributing to the offensive end. Okafor also set a new career high in field-goal percentage (53.4) on his way to a solid 13.8 ppg. His glaring weakness is at the line, where he has declined in each of the last few seasons to a career-low 57 percent – a rate that can cripple fantasy teams. That said, new Bobcats coach Larry Brown has plenty of experience getting big numbers out of defensive-minded big men (Dikembe Mutombo in Philadelphia, Ben Wallace in Detroit), and that bodes well for Okafor to strengthen his role as anchor for the defense.
Okafor took a big step forward last season, setting new career-highs in all of the defensive categories (11.3 rpg, 2.6 bpg, .9 spg) while coming into his own on the offensive end as well. With improved strength and a polished post-up game, Okafor obliterated his previous career high in field-goal percentage by almost 10 percent (53.2) on his way to a solid 14.4 ppg. Durability continues to be a concern, as Okafor missed 15 games due to a variety of injuries. But even that can be considered an improvement, as he missed 56 the year before. With their draft night trade for Jason Richardson the Bobcats have signaled their intent to move from expansion team to playoff hopeful, and they have the pieces to have a diversified perimeter offense this season. That bodes well for Okafor, as the paint should be open for him to continue his offensive improvement while maintaining his role as anchor for the defense.
After an ankle injury limited him to only 26 games last year, the key to Okafor’s outlook for this season is staying healthy. Okafor is a solid 6-10, 255-pound big man that plays primarily on the inside with his back to the basket. He’s not overly skilled on offense, but defensively is an excellent rebounder and shotblocker that also kicks in almost a steal per game. After averaging 15.1 ppg on 45% FG shooting as a rookie, Okafor’s numbers were down to 13.2 ppg and 42% shooting last year before he went down with the injury, due in part to the lack of other options on the Bobcats. But Charlotte drafted NCAA scoring champ Adam Morrison last summer, and Morrison, combined with the emergence of Ray Felton and Gerald Wallace after Okafor got hurt, should solve that problem.
Okafor had an outstanding rookie season, averaging 15 points, nearly 11 rebounds,and 1.7 blocks per game, with 47 double-doubles. It remains to be seen how the Bobcats are going to find adequate minutes for Primoz Brezec and first-round draft pick Sean May; Okafor could see some more time at center when May enters the game, which could give him more value depending on your league's eligibility rules. Okafor's ceiling is probably not quite as high as Dwight Howard's, but the ex-UConn star should be a consistent rebounding and shot-blocking threat for years to come, with just enough scoring to make him a valuable fantasy commodity. Just be aware that his low-60s free-throw percentage will hurt you.
Okafor played his final season at Connecticut like a man among boys. Unfortunately, he won’t be matching up with the likes of Mohamed Diakite any more - even in the size-challenged Eastern Conference, they grow 'em bigger in the NBA than they do in the Big East. The best-case scenario for Okafor: a young Alonzo Mourning - all power and swagger, with the ability to win an NBA Defensive Player of the Year award. One red flag - back trouble... something you never like to see in a guy in his early twenties. As perhaps the only viable option on the expansion Bobcats, Okafor should make a fantasy impact right away - 16 points, nine rebounds and two blocks should be well within reach.
Okafor is strong, athletic, quick, and a very good leaper. He's a big-time shot blocker and a very aggressive rebounder. In the past he's struggled some on the offensive end, but this year he's been dominant there, too. He's developed a nice 10-foot jumper and has been looking for his shot more. Comparisons have been drawn to Alonzo Mourning. Okafor is considered the most NBA-ready player in the 2004 draft. He is a consensus top two pick, if not the consensus number one.
