The best player on Jahlil Okafor’s new NBA roster is a fellow Chicago native, but more importantly, a sounding board and encouraging voice during what’s been an adversity-filled, three-year pro career. The front office of Okafor’s new NBA franchise features the same man who offered the 6-foot-11 center his first Division I college scholarship. On Okafor’s new coaching staff, there’s an assistant who trained him two summers ago.
Combined with a clean bill of health and noticeably-improved conditioning, everything seems to have aligned in New Orleans for the 22-year-old to launch a positive new chapter in his basketball life.