Report: Jahlil Okafor drawing interest from Chinese teams

By Josh Liddick, Sports Talk Philly editor 

Jahlil Okafor is still a free agent in the NBA, as no teams have grabbed the 22-year-old center off the market quite yet. The former Philadelphia 76ers big man is struggling to find a home after the Sixers traded him to Brooklyn in December and the Nets barely gave Okafor a chance in their lineup, setting him up for a free agency run.

There were reports earlier last week that Okafor had gotten interest from four NBA teams who watched Okafor work out in Las Vegas, and Sporting News' Sean Devenney reported that two teams, the Bulls and Pacers, had an interest in Okafor, but neither attended that workout. 

Now it seems that Okafor is drawing interest from teams overseas to obtain his services, which would effectively end his tenure in the NBA, at least for the time being. First reported by Chinese reporter Zhang Duo (via Sportando) and confirmed by AmicoHoops' Ashish Mathur, there are several Chinese teams interested in the former Duke standout, who led the Blue Devils to a national title.

Okafor posted 17.5 points and seven boards per game in his rookie season, but that's as good as he's gotten during his short tenure in the league. His offense has never been a problem, but Okafor's downfall is definitely his defense, as he lacks the aggressiveness and athleticism to truly make it in the league as two-way player.

 

 

Go to top button