The pace and space game of today’s NBA has put a damper on many of big men’s careers. One of these big men is Jahlil Okafor. If he were drafted in the 1980s instead of the mid 2010’s, a team would have built around him as a cornerstone offensive weapon. Instead, as a number three pick he was written off and traded early on in his career before he had a chance to develop. In his rookie career, he averaged 15 points a game and looked like he was on his way to be a 20 point per game scorer. Then he got traded, and for the last few years he has been a back up. Guys with his low post skill set have been instrumental in championship teams for years. Instead, it looked like Jahlil was written off and would have been on his way to playing overseas where they still have a place for a big man who gets most of his buckets on the block and doesn’t guard point guards. Jahlil wasn’t going to let that be the end of his story. Instead of being mad at the NBA and just moving to a foreign league he decided to remake himself. He has lost some weight and gotten into the best shape of his career. He is now a reliable, big off-the-bench player for New Orleans and he will have a couple of games where he puts up a 20 piece. This is a big improvement from what he was and it shows great maturity in his growth. Don’t count out Jahlil just yet: his story isn’t over and he just might continue to carve out a bigger role before his career is over.