Duke All-Decade Team (One-and-Done Edition): Jahlil Okafor
The final member of the Duke All-Decade team (One-and-Done Edition) is the big man for the 2015 national champions, Jahlil Okafor.
Much like on this All-Decade team, Okafor was a package deal with point guard Tyus Jones in high school recruiting, as the pair decided to attend the same college early on in the process. When they chose Duke, coach Mike Krzyzewski had a big man and the playmaker to get him the ball.
Okafor was the second straight elite recruit from Krzyzewski’s hometown of Chicago to join him in Durham, following one-and-done Jabari Parker the year before.
Okafor didn’t disappoint. He was named ACC Player of the Year (the first freshman to ever win it) and National Freshman of the Year as well as a first-team All-American. He led Duke in scoring at 17.3 ppg, rebounding at 8.5 and blocked shots. He also hit two thirds of his shots from the field. He also had more than half of the team’s dunks (64 of 124).
In the national championship game against Wisconsin, Okafor helped keep Badgers big man Frank Kaminsky in check, getting into foul trouble while guarding him. As a result, he only contributed 10 points, although that included two late baskets to help put the game on ice.
After the season, Okafor declared for the NBA Draft and was chosen third overall by the Philadelphia 76ers. He battled injury early in his tenure in Philadelphia but seems to have found a home with the New Orleans Pelicans.
