Lichtenstein: Nets Got Pummeled Inside By Knicks With Okafor Watching

By Steve Lichtenstein
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Free Jah, Part II?

The Nets acquired underutilized big man Jahlil Okafor last week in a trade with Philadelphia in exchange for reserve power forward Trevor Booker. Brooklyn also received a 2019 second-round draft choice, plus backup wing Nik Stauskas.

Neither of the newest Nets have played a second in the two games they have dressed since the trade, including Thursday night's brutal 111-104 loss to the rival Knicks at a raucous Barclays Center.

The Knicks played the final 21:25 without star unicorn Kristaps Porzingis, who exited with a reported left knee injury. The Nets were still badly outplayed in the interior, allowing 22 second-chance points.

This was a game the Nets should have at least considered using the 6-foot-11 Okafor, who only three drafts ago was deemed talented enough to be a No. 3 overall selection.

In Philadelphia, Okafor was mostly buried on the bench after his rookie season. The Sixers' "process" cluttered the depth chart at his position, with Nerlens Noel and Joel Embid competing with Okafor for Brotherly Love.

Fair or not, the Sixers didn't believe that Okafor's tools fit their style and opted to build around Embid, which at this time appears to be a wise choice. Philadelphia declined Okafor's option for next season and placed him in bubble wrap so he could be shipped to a new destination.

Now that he's in Brooklyn, all Okafor has to do is catch the ball to make him a superior option to "Mr. Hands of Stone" Timofey Mozgov, right?

Yet here again Okafor looks like the victim of another shady numbers game.

MORE: Jahlil Okafor Excited About Fresh Start With Nets

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At his introductory press conference on Monday, Okafor looked like a different player than he was in Philly, a lot leaner due to a change to a vegan diet. I was not expecting Okafor to be a dominant two-way player out of the gate while he shakes off the cobwebs to his game, but I thought we would have at least been able to lay down a base line by now.

The official word from Nets coach Kenny Atkinson during Thursday's pregame press conference was that Okafor and Stauskas were "still acclimating themselves." Apparently, two practices weren't sufficient to grasp the system.

Folks, this is just basketball, not microbiology. You mean to tell me that Okafor couldn't go out and guard Kyle O'Quinn, the Knicks' mediocre backup, who destroyed Brooklyn with six offensive rebounds, for maybe eight minutes on Thursday?

One media member I spoke with posited that Atkinson was protecting Okafor. He speculated that Okafor might be in a fragile state since his failures in Philadelphia were perhaps the first of his basketball lifetime. What if Atkinson sent Okafor onto the floor and he was embarrassed?

Well, that hasn't stopped Atkinson from giving 19-year-old rookie Jarrett Allen a trial by fire in the middle.

Oh, Allen can get the fans' attention with his flair for high-wire acts. "Ooh! Ahh!"

He also air balls layups and put up a minus-15 in 10 minutes of action on Thursday. "Ew."

Isn't Allen playing because it's part of his development? The same treatment should go for Okafor. We haven't seen the practices, but Okafor can't be that bad relative to his competitors for playing time.

The center position in Brooklyn has become a mess except for Tyler Zeller, a sentence I never thought I would write in a million years.

Two Nets on the active roster have positive net ratings per 100 possessions this season.  One is point guard Spencer Dinwiddie, an obvious answer if you've been following semi-closely how this team has played without injured guards Jeremy Lin and D'Angelo Russell.

The other is Zeller, who coming into this season was an afterthought as a free agent signed for the veteran's minimum. As one Nets big after another proved incompetent, Zeller earned the starting job.

In six December games, including Thursday's plus-10, Brooklyn has been significantly better with Zeller on the floor. Only Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has a higher net rating than Zeller's plus-13.7 per 100 possessions among active Nets.

Zeller has never been known for his defensive prowess -- his penchant for playing with his hands down has drawn ridicule from opposing scouts who visit Barclays Center -- but opponents have shot just 44.5 percent from the floor with Zeller on the court this season, the lowest among Nets active players.

"(Zeller) has just been the consummate pro," Atkinson said. "He's come in here from Day 1, been real quiet, and just goes about his work every day. He just keeps improving. I think he is a part of our defense getting better. He's been in this league a while and understands tendencies. He's bringing a physicality to our defense. He just accepted his role and keeps knocking it out every day."

Then why doesn't Atkinson let Zeller play more than half the game? Zeller had nine points and eight rebounds against the Knicks in just 24 minutes.

More importantly, if that is the plan going forward starting Friday in Toronto, then the Nets need to find a way to get through the other 24 minutes without getting bludgeoned.

Okafor has to be part of the solution, or at least tried as one.

For a FAN's perspective of the Nets, Jets and the NHL, follow Steve on Twitter @SteveLichtenst1