Monday, October 13, 2008

Alumni Profile: Emeka Okafor

ESPN Power Ranking: 57

Team: Charlotte Bobcats

Position: Power Forward/Center

Overview: Emeka isn’t a flashy player. He won’t dominate the scoreboard, but what he brings to team is a lunch pail attitude. He battles on the boards (6th in defensive rebounds and 9th in offensive rebounds), and he plays solid defense (8th in blocks). He did all this while playing with one hand behind his back. Charlotte played him as a center most of the time and he was out-sized by height and weight by true NBA centers. Okafor is a model of consistency since entering the NBA, averaging a double-double every year. The only discouraging stat is his free throw shooting. He’s been slowly decreasing in average over his four seasons. While he won’t be the catalyst on offense, his ability to anchor the defense is an asset most teams don’t have, and that’s why the Bobcats were willing to dish out the money and lock Emeka down to a multi-year deal.

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