Jahil Okafor a 19-year-old millionaire to be. Fame and fortune are waiting. He is being called the next Tim Duncan, forecast by many as the next great NBA big man.
And yet, Okafor remains egoless — a sarcastic, fun-loving freshman at Duke who prefers hanging out with his friends over finding himself in the spotlight, who attended his coach's son's birthday rather than spend his free time at the mall, who made it a point in high school to help the less fortunate.
"He's one of those kids, if he wanted to date your daughter, you would be thrilled," said Don Showalter, who coached Okafor on junior national teams for three years.
The 6-foot-11, 270-pound Chicagoan is becoming a household name because of his ability with a basketball in his massively large hands, possessing a developed post game and innate understanding of angles and positioning few seniors grasp.
Averaging team-highs of 18.6 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game, he is considered a heavy favorite to be the No. 1 pick in June's NBA Draft, a prospect so impressive Duke assistant coach Jeff Capel compared him favorably to Duncan, the Spurs' future Hall of Famer, at the same age.
"If you compare them as freshman — just as freshman — 'Jah' is a lot better offensively," said Capel, who played against Duncan in college.
NBA scouts The Post talked to agreed there are similarities on the offensive end, with one saying, "it's not a projection that far off." ESPN Draft insider Chad Ford said Okafor is the most polished big man prospect he has seen since Duncan.
Capel recalled an AAU game the summer before Okafor's senior year in Las Vegas, with Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony in attendance. Afterward, they approached Capel and Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, and said: "That kid right there, that's a young Tim Duncan."
Wake Forest assistant coach Randolph Childress, who played with Duncan for two years and scouted Okafor in advance of the Deamon Deacons game against Duke, said at the same age "he has more post-up moves" than Duncan.
Jahlil Okafor blocks the shot of Army's Kyle Wilson in a game earlier this season.Photo: AP
Wake Forest frequently double-teamed Okafor in the matchup, limited him to 12 points. Duke, however, prevailed and Okafor impressed Childress with his willingness to cede the scoring load to his teammates.
"Greatness is ahead of him," Childress predicted. "He played the game with a high IQ and he didn't get rattled."
Okafor, as humble as he is talented, was honored to hear such comparisons, but also was quick to point out how much room he has to grow. His defense — his major weakness — is a work in progress, he admitted.
"I'm still a 19-year-old kid," he said, sounding wise beyond his years. "I have a lot of improvements to make."
The same reaction NBA scouts and fans have watching Okafor deftly use either hand around the basket or find an open teammates out of the post from the corner of his eye, Tyrone Slaughter had years ago. It was the summer of Okafor's seventh grade, he was 6-foot-5, and he was doing some of the same things then he is doing now.
"My initial reaction and then and still to this day: This really can't be real," said Slaughter, Okafor's high school coach at Whitney Young. "Nobody at that age should be able to play at such a high level. Incredible footwork, soft hands, ability to finish with either hand, he was ahead of the curve. Granted those skills have been refined, have been cultivated, but they absolutely are the same skills on a much larger body."
Jahlil OkaforPhoto: Getty Images
Okafor landed his first scholarship offer, from DePaul, as an eighth grader. He went on to enjoy a storybook high school career at Whitney Young, a two-time All-American and Gold medalist, MVP of the McDonald's All-American game and Jordan Brand All-American Classic.
With the Knicks in position to have the best shot at the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft, there is the chance he can make his permanent home at Madison Square Garden — where he makes his debut Sunday against St. John's. The possibility doesn't scare him.
"I think I can handle anywhere I go," he said. "I'm looking forward to it. We came to New York a few times this year [and played at Barclays Center]. It's a great city — the basketball mecca like Chicago."
Slaughter said: "He can handle New York."
Okafor said his personable character comes partly from tragedy, losing his mother, Dacresha Lanett Benton, at the age of 9 from a severe case of bronchitis. It taught him how precious life can be, to cherish everyone around him.
He used basketball as a coping mechanism at a young age — his therapy, he said — increasing the time he spent honing his craft to deal with his grief. It cleared his mind. He still thinks of her often, particularly when he is on the court. A photo of her is the screensaver on his phone.
"I know without a doubt that made me a lot more mature that I would've been," Okafor said. "People always credit me with having an old soul. That all goes to losing my mom at an early age, always appreciating everybody around me. Tomorrow is never promised.
"There isn't a day I don't think about her. She's watching over me."
After her death, he moved in with his father, Chukwudi (who goes by Chucky), in Chicago. Asked about his son's advanced offensive skill set, Chucky said they worked on everything — ball handling, shooting, posting up — so that Okafor would be a complete player. It was the same off the court. Chucky wanted his son to be a complete person, not just a basketball player. Academics were emphasized. His son attended Whitney Young because of its education prowess, not its basketball program.
"He never bought a bad grade home in his life," Chucky recalled fondly. " 'C' was the lowest."
Jahlil Okafor has been compared with Spurs star Tim Duncan.Photo: NBAE via Getty Images
More than his nimble post moves or his rare combination of size and quickness, his character is what stands out to those close to him. Chucky was proud to say his son has the same friends now he had before he became a star. Okafor was the one who always reminded Slaughter of the team's annual trip to the soup kitchen over the holidays. In September, Okafor asked Capel if he could attend his 2-year-old son's birthday party and brought a remote-control car as a present.
"The dude is like a walking multi, multi-millionaire. He's going to be one of the top picks, he's going to be a franchise player. He can be an arrogant prick, just think it's all about him, and he's the total opposite," Capel said. "He's beloved by his teammates. He just wants to be one of the guys.
"Someone is hurting on the team, someone is going through a tough time, he's the one there for them. Someone falls down in practice, he's the first one top help them up. He gets as much satisfaction if other guys are doing well as he does [as he is]."
The Duncan comparisons are humbling, Okafor said, and so are the predictions of grandeur, his name atop virtually every mock draft. But Okafor is enjoying being a 19-year-old kid for now, immersing himself in the Duke community. He has the fifth-ranked Blue Devils near the top of the polls, considered one of few teams capable of topping top-ranked Kentucky.
At the moment, that's all that matters. His lottery ticket of a future can wait. He's not even sure he will declare for the draft after the year, as long of a shot as that seems.
"My main focus, my No. 1 focus for the year, is winning a national championship," he said. "That's what I want to bring to Duke University."
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