Newest Net in similar spot to D-Lo

Stop us if this sounds familiar. A once-elite college prospect and top-three NBA draft pick gets off to a strong start, falls out of favor in his own organization, and winds up with the Nets in a lowrisk, high-reward trade because of how far his stock has fallen.

The player talks about how motivated his fall has made him, how eager he is to take advantage of the opportunity in front of him, to establish himself all over again.

We’re taking abut the plight of Jahlil Okafor, but just as easily could be discussing D’Angelo Russell. The similarities for the new Nets teammates, who went Nos. 2 and 3 in the 2015 draft, are striking.

“I feel like we’re similar in that we have a lot to prove,” the 6-foot-11 Okafor, a Chicago native, said Monday as he met reporters for the first time since the deal Thursday that sent him from the 76ers to the Nets along with Nik Stauskas and a 2019 second-round pick in exchange for forward Trevor Booker. “I think we both have a chip on our shoulder and we have a lot to prove.”

It will be some time until they share the court together. Russell, who was averaging 20.9 points, 5.7 assists and 4.7 rebounds in 12 games before getting hurt, is coming off arthroscopic left knee surgery on Nov. 17, and his return date is uncertain. He was traded to the Nets in the offseason, after the Lakers opted to build around first-round pick Lonzo Ball.

“He has to get healthy and I have to get acclimated with the team, but it’s hard not to think about,” said Okafor, who appeared in just two games with the 76ers this season as he waited to be traded. “I’m excited and I know he’s excited.”

Okafor couldn’t help but smile as he imagined the possibilities, about the inside-out threat the two could develop into. They have a preexisting relationship — Russell tried to recruit Okafor to Ohio State when he was in high school, though the big man wound up at Duke — and have gone through a lot of the same NBA growing pains. Now the former one-and-done college stars are together, with the same goals in mind.

“I’ve thought about it a ton. I’ve been playing with D’Angelo for a while. We grew up playing against each other — same high school class, same draft class,” Okafor said. “He’s actually the first person to call me when I got traded.”