Young center Jahlil Okafor is the top player in the country and the primary reason the Dolphins are the Sun-Times’ top-ranked team for the 2013-14 basketball season. The 6-11 big man isn’t the key to Young’s season though. That falls on the shoulders of the recently injured, newly focused Paul White.
White, a 6-9 forward, has been a bit of an enigma during his high school career. All the tools have always been there: size, athleticism, skills. But somehow things have never seemed to totally click. He’s had a successful three-year varsity career, but never took the step forward into the dominant force his national ranking shows he is capable of. This may be the year. White broke his right arm over the summer in a club basketball game. The experience has changed him as a player and a person.
Some scouts have referred to White as “the bootleg Jabari Parker.” That’s more of a compliment than it appears to be. White, like Parker, is one of the few players in the country than can legitimately play all five positions. He just couldn’t play any of them as well as Parker. "Jabari is a great player but I would never want to say I’m a bootleg version of somebody,” White said. “I’m Paul White. Whatever comparisons you guys want to make is fine. This year I’m looking to make up for all that lost time and leave my mark on CPS basketball and on the nation.
- White has a high bball IQ. He's asked to do a lot for Young and he played the entire game.
- He seemed like the leader on the court for Young which surprised me given Okafor's presence. He was doing the Kevin Garnet-Peyton Manning stuff.
- He played mostly from the high post where he helped facilitate the offense even though he also played on the wings, even out to the 3, bringing the other team's big away from the basket.
- He has enough handle to lead the break off a rebound or even help break a press. Sometimes they let him bring it up just to give the guards a break from Tyus Jones & his little brother.
- Most impressive though was how White worked with a true big man in Oakafor. Feeding the post, cutting to the basket, throwing lobs, kick outs for open J's...the way they played off one another I'm surprised they didn't commit to the same school. I don't know who will be playing center with White at Gtown but he will make them better.
- He is very thin & makes me wonder if he may really be a 6-9 SF. Not sure he will be an impact freshman just because of the time it may take him to develop cbb strength.
- His explosion seemed ok, but who knows it was only one game.
- I don't know how he only scored 4 points over the weekend in a loss at the Chicago Elite Classic. It's early but that also reminds me of Jeff Green, dude knows how to disappear some games. So far White has scored 4, 25, & now 17 in his first 3 games.
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