Jahlil Okafor is all-in on reviving his career in Brooklyn

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Jahlil Okafor can score. It’s the reason he was taken third overall in the 2015 NBA draft. But can the embattled big man who fell out of the 76ers’ rotation reinvent himself as a two-way player in Brooklyn?

“That’s something that I’m buying into,” he said during his introductory press conference at the HSS Training Facility in Brooklyn on Monday. “They’re going to help me with that. I’ll find out their defensive schemes and what they expect from me, but I’m buying into whatever they want me to do.

“Full-fledged, I’m all-in.”

Brooklyn traded frenetic forward Trevor Booker to Philadelphia in early December in exchange for Okafor, Nik Stauskas, and a 2019 second-round pick. The deal gave Okafor a second chance at an NBA life after he was benched in favor of Joel Embiid virtually all season.

Scouts called him a black hole on offense. They labeled him a lax defender — if that — while questioning his effort and his conditioning. Now it’s up to Okafor, who becomes a free agent next summer, to dispel that stigma and prove he can still be of value when given an opportunity to play.

“I mean, I’m not a perfect player,” he admitted. “I’m 21. There’s things that I need to work on, and I have worked on and that I’ll continue to work on.”

Under the Sean Marks-Kenny Atkinson regime, the Nets have become a breeding ground for burgeoning NBA talent.

Brooklyn helped transform Caris LeVert, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson from prospects into legitimate rotational players. Allen Crabbe is on pace for a career year in his first season with the Nets, and had he not needed arthroscopic knee surgery, D’Angelo Russell was on track to become a first-time All-Star.

Okafor understands he’s not a finished product. That’s why the Nets are a perfect stop.

“That’s one of the things I heard about Brooklyn, how good they are at developing players,” he said. “I’m really excited for that.”

Okafor may have appeared in only two games for the Sixers this season, but he’s controlled what he could while watching from the sidelines.

He may have looked out of shape in past seasons, but Okafor was slender on Monday. He said he’s lost 20 pounds since transitioning to a vegan lifestyle. His right knee is as close to 100 percent as it’s been since tearing his meniscus in March of 2016. Rushing back from that injury, he said, was one of the reasons things didn’t work out in Philadelphia.

“I kind of jumped right on the court because I didn’t want to lose my position and my spot,” he said. “I didn’t take care of myself the right way. I think I should have taken more time out before jumping on the court last year.”

Okafor has also been slowly trying to extend his range beyond the three-point line.

In Atkinson’s pace and space offense, there will be plenty of looks in the corner once he’s comfortable shooting from that distance. Okafor is 1-of-6 on threes for his career and hasn’t attempted one since his rookie season, but his mid-range percentages leave hope that he can develop into a respectable perimeter shooter.

Okafor and Russell played against each other in high school — though in different states — and went No. 2 and No. 3 overall in the same NBA draft class. Both, though, were unceremoniously dismissed before ending up in Brooklyn.

Russell has been a dynamic combo guard who has given the Nets and their fans a jolt of energy. He’s helped make Brooklyn basketball exciting again. Okafor can’t wait to play with him.

“I thought about it a ton,” he smiled. “He’s actually the first person that called when I got traded.

“I feel like we’re similar in that we have a lot to prove. I know he’s working his ass off rehabbing, trying to get back on the court. I think we both have a chip on our shoulder and we have a lot to prove.”

As Okafor said, just like Russell, he has a chip on his shoulder. His value deteriorated close to zero before the 76ers sent him to Brooklyn. Had it not been for the trade to the Nets, his ongoing saga in Philadelphia may have never ended.

Now with an opportunity to resuscitate his once promising career in Brooklyn, Okafor says he is more motivated now than ever before. And with the Nets’ hands-on training staff and roster of young, talented players, this could be his best shot at pressing reset on a rocky start.

“I just worked my ass off every day knowing my opportunity would come and it would present itself,” he said. “We’re all excited; we’ve been waiting for this new opportunity.

“I feel like I was dreaming. It finally happened and I’m in a great city.”