Running out of time
Lack of minutes making it harder for Okafor to shine
CLIPPERS 114 NETS 101
Even if the Nets don’t want to call it a tryout, part of the allure of trading for Jahlil Okafor when they did was to have months to look at the young center before having to make up their minds whether to re-sign him.
But at just 19-39 after Monday’s 114-101 loss to the Clippers at Barclays Center, they have just 24 games left in a season that’s gone off the rails. Assessing the free agent-to-be becomes more and more vital, which makes Okafor’s up-and-down minutes even more confusing.
“Getting on the floor is very important,” Okafor told The Post before scoring seven points and grabbing four rebounds off the bench. “As a basketball player we all want to be on the court. My minutes have been fluctuating up and down, but the coaches say it’s nothing on my end.
“In one game, Detroit, I got in foul trouble, so that is on me. Then New Orleans, we were getting our [butts] kicked the entire game until mid-third quarter. But obviously I want to get on the floor, to do whatever I can to get on the floor and have the coaches have the utmost trust in me.”
The Nets have shown more trust in Okafor than the 76ers did. But that’s a low bar, after Philadelphia gave him just 25 minutes this season before the trade. He’s gotten playing time with the Nets but it’s been as volatile as a bad week on the stock market.
When Okafor got 24:41 against the Rockets, he responded with 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting and six rebounds. But in the next two games, he got in foul trouble in Detroit on Wednesday and finished a minus 18 in just 8:48. Then despite going to double overtime Saturday, he logged just 5:08.
But on Monday, he fell somewhere in the middle. In 12:50 he hit all three of his shots, but finished a team-worst minus 18.
“It’s us getting down and having to go small,” coach Kenny Atkinson said. “When you go down 25 you have to speed the game up, get more shooting, so he gets caught up in that. Hopefully [we’ll be better] and we can get him some more minutes.”
Okafor needs to be better as well. After Monday’s loss his plusminus (minus 6.5), net rating (minus 26.2) and offensive rating (91.1) are all the worst on the team, and his defensive rating (117.3) is second-worst behind only Jeremy Lin, who hasn’t played since the opener.
While Okafor has stated he enjoys being in Brooklyn, and the Nets are outwardly happy with him, there are decisions to be made.
The Nets can’t bid more than $6.3 million (the fourth year option the 76ers declined) for Okafor’s services. Granted, he’s unlikely to get more than that, and could easily re-up with the Nets. But rookie center Jarrett Allen is clearly a core piece, and they must discern how Okafor fits with that piece.
“Jarrett can play four because he can defend the position. Jah right now is more of a traditional five, a closer-to-the-basket guy,” Atkinson said. “We have to look at all options. Jarrett’s played some four. It’s not perfect because of the shooting ... he’s not spreading the floor like a traditional four. But we could look at it at times.” They haven’t — but they should. Okafor could mesh with veteran stretch fours like Quincy Acy, DeMarre Carroll or even Dante Cunningham. But he was a minus 21.5 in 80 minutes together with Joel Embiid last season in Philadelphia, and minus 20 in 696 minutes alongside Nerlens Noel the season before. He’s only played two minutes with Allen, and the Nets got outscored by 10 versus the Timberwolves when he did. Can it work?
“They haven’t had that discussion with me,” Okafor said. “They tried it in Minnesota for a few minutes, but that was completely unexpected. It just happened. I didn’t know the coaches were going to do that and I don’t think Jarrett did either. So they haven’t had that discussion with us.”