Okafor, Stauskas shaking off scars
From being the top prospect in high school to being a national champion in college to being one of the top rookies in the NBA, Jahlil Okafor had been the golden boy, never really facing doubt or adversity.
We’re about to find out how he handles it, joining the Nets as a reclamation project and arriving in Brooklyn for his second chance with a chip on his shoulder.
“I feel really motivated right now,” Okafor said. “I was the No. 1 player in high school and then go on to Duke and win a national championship and first-team all-rookie my rookie year. Then I got injured and not really getting a chance to play this year.
“But I’m ready. I have a chip on my shoulder. This is the first time where people are against me in a sense, because I’ve always been the hyped-up guy. It’s something new for me to experience, so I’m glad that I’m experiencing it.”
The Nets were happy to bank on helping him live up to that hype, scooping him up along with Nik Stauskas and a 2019 second-round pick for Trevor Booker.
“I just know we’re excited to have the opportunity to have a young player that’s hungry, that has a chip on their shoulder,” coach Kenny Atkinson said. “I know he said he’s very hungry, that he has a chip on his shoulder. That’s great. … My goal, our staff ’s goal, is help this guy achieve the success that he believes he deserves.”
It’s a chance Stauskas said Okafor will relish.
“He’d been going through a lot the last two years. He asked to be traded, so I know he’s really excited,” Stauskas said. “Being with him the last two years, I know he was frustrated with the situation in Philadelphia. He’s a very talented player; he was the No. 3 pick in the draft for a reason.”
The Nets are hoping to rebuild Stauskas’ battered confidence, the same way they did for Spencer Dinwiddie and Joe Harris.
“Obviously, he’s coming from a situation where he wasn’t playing, so we’re in the buildup phase and build confidence,” Atkinson said. “Yes, that’s definitely a goal of mine to build up his confidence and give him freedom, and obviously hold him accountable on the defensive end.”