Alumni Profile: Emeka Okafor

Looking Back:  Emeka Okafor has been mister consistent throughout his career, giving the Hornets a nightly double-double.  So heading into the strike shortened season, Okafor looked to provide stability to a franchise that had just lost their superstar in Chris Paul in a trade to the Clippers, but Emeka’s season only lasted 27 games because of a knee injury that he blamed on the shortened season.  In the off season, Charlotte cleaned house and dealt Okafor to the Washington Wizards.

The Good: Emeka is a workhorse and gives a team a solid defender, a low post presence, and a tough nosed rebounder.  He’s one of those glue guys that every team needs and he’s a great role model.  He’s as barring injury you can pencil his double-double on the box score.

The Bad: He isn’t going to be that 20 point scorer nor an overpowering center on the block.  There is also the injury concern now, especially with the knee.  There was always talk about the back issues that he had early in his career, but to his credit it has never sidelined him for an extended period of time.

Looking Ahead:  The Washington Wizards are looking for Okafor to stabilize a troubled locker room and his professionalism needs rub off on a team that was the laughing stock of the NBA.  If he remains healthy, Okafor should put up career numbers, simply because of the minutes, and should provide a foundation for a team looking to build around a young point guard.