7. Jahlil Okafor: 2015, Pick #3
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The rap on Jahlil Okafor coming out of Duke University was that while he was a polished scoring savant around the hoop, for someone with his size (6’11 and 275lbs) and athleticism, he was breathtakingly clueless when it came to playing defense.
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After being drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 3rd overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, Okafor saw his minutes per game go from 30 to 22.7 to 12.6 in his first three years in the league, and the 76ers eventually traded him to Brooklyn less than three years after taking him.
Ironically, the two players taken before and after Okafor — D’Angelo Russell and Kristaps Porzingis — have been selected as All-Stars, while Okafor hasn’t been anything close to one.
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