TARRYTOWN, N.Y. — Jahlil Okafor, speaking at the NBA and Panini America's rookie photo shoot at MSG Training Center on Saturday, shared a few of his goals for the upcoming 2015-16 season.
The Sixers' big man already has his eyes set on some hardware.
“I’d like to win Rookie of the Year," he said. "Just want to get better every night for myself and my coaches with the Sixers. Try and win some big games.”
The last Sixer to win the award was Michael Carter-Williams in 2013-14. If Okafor could pull that off, it would signify the Sixers are inching closer to resembling a respectable NBA team.
Okafor may have been selected with the third overall pick in this year’s draft but most people feel he has No. 1 overall star potential and talent.
At the rookie photo shoot, he mainly showed off his personal side.
The Duke standout is used to dealing with the media, making him comfortable in front of the camera. He loves his sneakers and he’s not afraid to talk about them.
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“I have a lot of shoes,” he said with a laugh. “I’m a Chicago guy so we’re really big on shoes. I have a pretty nice collection.”
At 6-foot-11, he's a big man who can fill the net, and these type of players don’t come along every day. One of his idols, however, helped make the San Antonio Spurs a successful contender.
“Tim Duncan is the one I always watched growing up,” Okafor said. “Love the way he plays in the post. He’s never rushed. He’s always poised. Before my time, Hakeem Olajuwon.”
Right now, he’s in chill mode. The summer league is over and the NBA season is currently off in the distance.
“I’m not really in game mode until the season is underway,” Okafor, who knows when to dial up the intensity, said.
The Sixers have continued to add big players in their rebuild, and Okafor is excited about that.
“That’s great. Kind of different when I played last year and just me and Marshall [Plumlee] both played the post,” Okafor said. “Now I have Nerlens [Noel] and Jojo (Joel Embiid); he’s unfortunately hurt right now. I’m excited to play with Nerlens, another dominant force, and I think we’ll play well together.”
He paused when asked whether or not he had sampled a cheesesteak yet. Perhaps that’s not on his acceptable food list for his summer training program.
“Don’t tell anybody, when I first got there I had a cheesesteak or two," he said in a low voice. "I had one from Ishkabibbles that was really good."
During the summer league, he experienced a big difference between the college and pro game.
“The summer league, the NBA is a lot faster," he said. "With the 24-second shot clock (as compared to 35 in NCAA play), it makes the game a lot faster."
As far as the upcoming regular season goes, this youngster has the right outlook.
“I’m excited about it," he said. "Just positive thoughts.”