We might not like Jahlil Okafor as the top prospect of the 2015 NBA draft, but we’d never say that to his face. Though the Duke freshman is a model citizen off the court, any risk whatsoever of getting socked in the face is something prudently avoided.
We hope to continue assessing the talent of young basketball players for many years, after all, and taking a punch to the grill from a man with hands the size of Okafor would almost certainly leave us blinded for life. Seriously, have you seen the 19-year-old’s mitts? They might as well be featured in one of those niche horror films categorized as “unsettling.”
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Have you ever felt smaller in your entire life?
Okafor, by the way, was officially measured at 6’11, 272 pounds with a 7’5 wingspan and 9’2 standing reach last summer. His hands have yet to be sized, but we don’t need a tape measure to tell us what our eyes do – they’re unfathomably large.
A trait that served him well during the Blue Devils’ Final Four matchup against Michigan State, by the way. Led by 18 points, six rebounds, two steals, and two blocks from its All-American, Duke beat the Spartans 81-61 to face the winner of Kentucky-Wisconsin in Monday’s National Championship game.
A word of advice for Willie Cauley-Stein or Frank Kaminsky: Don’t look at Okafor’s hands – they’ll surely scare you into basketball ineptitude.
