Biggest Win of Jahlil Okafor To Philadelphia 76ers Is Saddling Rival New York Knicks With Kristaps Porzingis

Kristaps Porzingis, New York Knicks,
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Like a good poker player, Philadelphia 76ers GM Sam Hinkie leaked the news to the media he might go unconventional and pick European big man Kristaps Porzingis with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.

Fortunately, sanity prevailed and Hinkie went conventional with 6-foot-11 Duke product Jahlil Okafor on Thursday night. While it was not the best thing that could have happened for the Sixers—drafting D’Angelo Russell would have been—it was the hand that Hinkie was dealt. And it may not have been a royal flush, but it was the next-best thing. That’s because Hinkie left it to the rival New York Knicks to select Porzingis, and the downside of that pick rivals the upside of the Okafor pick which could work out to be a double bonus for Hinkie’s Sixers.

There is a high bust factor with European players, and Porzingis certainly has a lot of holes in his game. First of all, even the Knicks have to wonder why Porzingis posted a 11 points-per-game line along with only 4.6 rebounds per outing against suspect competition. For a 6-foot-11 player, he also should average more than one block per game. He did not.

The reality is that Porzingis was a 20-minute per game player for a Spanish team that failed to make the playoffs and did not have an American at his position. He grabbed fewer than three rebounds in 19 of 50 games this season despite being second on his team in minutes. That’s atrocious for a post player.

While Okafor was not the pick every Sixer fan was looking for, it will be fun seeing him abuse Porzingis in the paint when the Sixers go up against their closest Atlantic division rival. That’s a pretty good consolation prize.

Mike Gibson is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @papreps , “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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