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Cooney: Okafor ready to prove he belongs

LAS VEGAS - Controversy has rarely surrounded Jahlil Okafor when it comes to the basketball court. Since he was about 12 years old, he has been labeled as the best in his age group. He was recruited by DePaul University when he was in the eighth grade. He

LAS VEGAS - Controversy has rarely surrounded Jahlil Okafor when it comes to the basketball court. Since he was about 12 years old, he has been labeled as the best in his age group. He was recruited by DePaul University when he was in the eighth grade. He became a legend at Whitney Young High School in Chicago, leading it to a class 4-A state title his senior season, when he was named Illinois' Mr. Basketball. The top recruit out of high school, he chose Duke and led the Blue Devils to a national championship, becoming the first freshman to be named ACC player of the year. He also won FIBA world championships with Team USA at the Under-19, Under-17 and Under-16 tournaments.

His first season in the NBA, where he envisioned himself since he was a little kid playing video games with his favorite players - Tim Duncan, Shaquille O'Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon - didn't exactly play out the way he had hoped, however. There were three off-court incidents that led to the 76ers suspending him for two games. He may have lost more games in his first NBA season than he had lost in his entire life on the court. And then, in late February, the soreness in his right knee became too much to handle and surgery to repair a torn meniscus halted his rookie campaign after 53 games.

The reviews, for the most part, were mixed. His offensive game is undeniable when it comes to scoring. Okafor combines dancer-like footwork with a soft touch. He is excellent at reading and feeling defenders, anticipating where they will move and going the opposite way. His 17.5 scoring average could grow and stay in the 20s for many, many years.

The drawbacks to Okafor's pro game include his inept defense - too many times he gets caught flat-footed and then out of position. Is there a want to play defense? He averaged a disappointing seven rebounds per game, and the question again has to be asked : Is the desire there to do so? Now that the NBA has become a running and spread game, is there room on the Sixers for a big man who needs the ball in his hands to dominate? And when you consider that 7-2, 280-pound Joel Embiid seems set to finally make his professional debut, and that the team has gotten pass-happy forwards Ben Simmons and Dario Saric, the question of where Okafor fits becomes legit.

Okafor addressed that, and other issues, in a sitdown interview last week in Las Vegas.

"I think that in the long run it will work out," said Okafor, who is part of the USA Select Team, which will practice against the Olympic team this week in Las Vegas. Okafor, however, won't be participating as he continues his recovery. "I think the key thing is that we're all young and we're all willing to learn. We're all friends off the court. We've been going golfing every night out here, me and Ben and 'Jo-Jo.' We'll make it work.

"That's what it's always been, since I've been watching the NBA, that big guys dominate. I'm excited to see what Jo-Jo does this year. I know what I can do, so I'm excited about that, too."

The turbulent rookie season had Okafor wanting to get to his comfort place in the offseason - Duke. There is no place he'd rather spend his time than at the university he chose before his senior season of high school over every other college in the country. He left after his freshman year because he wanted to help take care of his family financially. He has called it the toughest decision he has ever made. He calls Duke the place where extraordinary people feel comfortable because everyone there is extraordinary, no matter the profession that awaits. He rented an apartment, was accompanied by his dog Natty (think National Title), took classes and allowed himself to get away from the rigors of NBA life.

His hasn't been a life of comfort away from the basketball court. At the age of nine, he watched his mom die suddenly while living in Oklahoma as he frantically called 911. In the days after, he spent hours composing a poem that he read at her funeral. In the ten years since, he is still haunted by her passing every day. Maybe that helps explain why he acted out those three times during the season - a street fight in Boston; another confrontation that involved a gun outside a downtown nightclub; and the speeding ticket for going 108 miles per hour over the Ben Franklin Bridge. Perhaps, but all still inexcusable acts that Okafor insists embarrass him still.

And now his offseason has been littered with trade rumors and talk of how his game no longer fits the style of the NBA. But the excitement surrounding the team of late has put all that on the backburner for Okafor. He watched Simmons courtside here in Las Vegas and roared with delight as the rookie threw amazing passes, handled the ball like a veteran point guard and allowed Okafor's imagination of what may be to run wild.

"I look back on my first season a ton," Okafor said. "I was thinking about how fast it went by and now being here at summer league, it's amazing how much more comfortable I feel, about the NBA, with the coaching staff and stuff like that. I learned a lot my first year. (The trade talk) is definitely all stupid with a lot of speculation. I see where people will write what I'm feeling and I haven't even spoken to them. A lot of stuff is made up and it's annoying. But for the most part, it's fine. For me, at a certain point, I got upset when another story came out that said we were upset with the team and that just wasn't the case. But I'm just looking forward to the season now.

"I don't know Dario personally, but I've watched videos of him. From what the coaches tell me, he's really unique. He's a great passer, he's versatile and the main thing is that he's really a unique player, so I'm looking forward to playing with him. And Ben is phenomenal. He's phenomenal. I really enjoy watching him play and can't wait to play with him. I knew him already because throughout high school, I'm only a year older, we were in the same camps and stuff like that and I would always play against him when I was with Team USA and he was with Australia. I knew about him already, but seeing him, you can see how exciting of a player he is. I'm excited about it."

All of Okafor's excitement will get revved up even more when he can take the court without restrictions, which he anticipates will be soon. The recovery from meniscus surgery didn't take longer than expected, Okafor said - it's just that he and the team decided to take it slowly.

"I'm not in basketball shape, yet," he said. "I haven't done any five-on-five or anything like that. I made a focus to watch my body weight. I knew that with me not being able to play I could easily gain weight, so I was trying to watch what I was eating. I lifted. That was the one thing I was able to do. I did a lot of lifting, being as I wasn't able to run because of my knee. I'll be good before training camp and I'll be ready to go by then. I have some basketball things coming up (with USA Select Team) and I'm going to figure out how to deal with that. I'm excited about training camp. Really excited and I'm going to be good by the time it starts."

He then raised his enormous hands and flashed a huge smile. "I already told Ben that my hands will be ready. I have big hands and good hands, and I'll be ready for any of the type of passes that he'll throw me. It's exciting."

Do you get the feeling Okafor's excited? For the first time in his life, controversy has swirled around his game this offseason. He's more than a little energized to straighten that out.

@BobCooney76

Blog: philly.com/Sixersblog