We've mostly moved on from free agency to schedule announcements, but there has been a little bit of news the past couple of days, so let's take a look around the league.
Can Okafor become a Monroe?
Three years ago, Greg Monroe signed a maximum contract with the Bucks and Jahlil Okafor entered the NBA with the 76ers as the No. 3 pick in the draft. This week, both big men agreed to minimum deals. Monroe is still just 28 years old, Okafor just 22, and yet, in a league that keeps evolving, they are decidedly old-school. The question is no longer whether or not they can be stars; it is whether or not the game has totally passed them by. Monroe will have to fight for minutes in the Toronto Raptors' rotation. Okafor isn't even guaranteed a New Orleans Pelicans roster spot.
Of the two, Monroe is the much more proven player. It is remarkable how little his game has changed since he signed his max deal, considering his steep decline in playing time. In Toronto, he will be asked to initiate dribble hand-offs and make plays on the perimeter, using the vision and feel for the game that allowed Brad Stevens to play him at point-center (!) a few times last season. Monroe can also get buckets in the post, a skill that comes in handy against switching defenses. The problem is that he cannot be asked to switch much himself, and his solid rebounding does not make up for his poor rim protection. On this contract, playing a reserve role, it is hard to criticize the Raptors harshly for adding Monroe. It is also hard to imagine them playing him much more than Boston did in the playoffs.
On the surface, Okafor's game is similar. He is skilled enough with the ball in his hands to have averaged 17.5 points as a rookie with the Philadelphia 76ers, and he has shown flashes of advanced passing ability, especially in college. It would be unfair to Monroe, though, to equate the two players. While a more realized version of Okafor would resemble Monroe, there has been a world of difference between them in the past few years. On defense, Monroe is limited by his below-average foot speed and agility. Okafor is limited by those things and an apparent lack of interest in contributing on that end of the court.
Despite completely changing his diet and dropping lots of weight, Okafor could not carve a niche for himself with the Brooklyn Nets last season. You could not invent a franchise more invested in player development or in need of reclamation projects than last year's Nets, but they could not turn Okafor into a decent rebounder or even a helpful offensive player.
Okafor does not need to work on a 3-point shot and become a "unicorn" to be a rotation player, nor does he need to turn into some kid of dominant defender to survive in the league. His effort and conditioning need to improve, though, and he will have to learn how to play for teams that don't want to walk the ball up and play through the post on every possession. Judging by his piece on The Players' Tribune published Wednesday, he at least is aware of his weaknesses:
That is a start. There are surely people in Philadelphia and Brooklyn, however, who would say they'll believe it when they see it.
The transformation of Turner
Myles Turner feels different. In an interview with ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk, the Indiana Pacers center said that he is doing "everything in my power to work hard and give the Pacers what they drafted," which means: No more Popeye's, no more pizza, a drastic reduction in body fat and a stronger core thanks to weightlifting, boxing and a bunch of different types of yoga.
These summer stories, providing a peak inside a professional athlete's ridiculous regimen, always make you feel like a breakout season is coming. Last year, for example, I really thought Chandler Parsons was going to get over his health issues after reading a feature by ESPN's Tim MacMahon. With Turner, though, it's particularly exciting to imagine what would be possible if he reached a new level.
It's not just that we saw Turner's teammate, Victor Oladipo, transform his body and his game. It's that the idea of a more fluid, flexible Turner is so appealing. This is a 6-foot-11, 250-pound center with 3-point range, solid shot-blocking instincts and serious upside. This is also a player who battled injuries and regressed in his third season, and now wants to make up for it. It is easy to identify the areas in which he needs to improve: holding his position around the basket, finishing through contact, defending on the perimeter, putting the ball on the floor and passing. The last two are all about skill, but the first three can be addressed by being more agile and stronger.
Indiana had a nice summer, adding Tyreke Evans, Doug McDermott and Kyle O'Quinn. It is possible, though, that its biggest improvement could come from Turner smoothing out his game and becoming a star.
Let's concern-troll the Sixers' wing rotation
Zhaire Smith suffered a Jones fracture at Tim Grgurich's camp because he's a Philadelphia 76ers rookie, and this is a bummer because he has all the potential in the world. In light of this, it's worth looking at the Sixers' roster, which is suddenly low on wings after they dumped Justin Anderson and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot.
Presumably, J.J. Redick and Robert Covington will start on the wing, just like last season. Off the bench, things get tricky quickly. Is swingman Furkan Korkmaz going to be a regular part of the rotation now? Will Landry Shamet or Shake Milton be ready to play right away? It looks like Wilson Chandler is going to have to play more minutes at small forward than power forward, and it wouldn't be surprising if Markelle Fultz played some shooting guard and Redick played some small forward. Coach Brett Brown will have to be creative if the front office -- still no GM, by the way! -- does not find him another versatile wing.
I'm not going to present this as a problem that can derail the Sixers' season. It's just weird that they've found themselves in this position, especially when you look at the wings that the Raptors and Celtics have. In a perfect world, Philadelphia would be able to give Covington significant minutes at power forward. Given how this roster is constructed, I expect hardly any of that. One player to watch here is Dario Saric, who said at his end-of-season media availability that he planned to work on his perimeter defense against smaller players. Brown could often go to huge lineups with Saric at small forward out of necessity, but that would be easier if Saric did indeed become quicker on his feet.
Speaking of wing rotations…
The Minnesota Timberwolves aren't going to look much different next season, except potentially in this one specific area. After drafting Josh Okogie and Keita Bates-Diop, they reportedly reached an agreement with James Nunnally, who starred for Fenerbahce for the past two seasons. Nunnally has a lightning-quick release and developed into one of the best 3-point shooters in the world while playing overseas, so there's reason to believe he can crack Tom Thibodeau's rotation, especially with Jamal Crawford gone. I like the idea of playing him with stretch 4 Anthony Tolliver and giving the Wolves' playmakers the kind of space they never had last season.
