Jahlil Okafor

“When you're friends with somebody, it's really easy to tell them 'Help me do this; help me do that.' It's not an uncomfortable conversation.”

“I'm just trying to get better each game.”

“In college, when you lose one game as a top team, it's like the end of the world.”

“I think, when I was younger, I might have scored on the wrong basket. That wasn't too smart.”

“I definitely want to play for a school that throws the ball in the post.”

“I was a big sweet-tea guy.”

“I definitely feel like I'm the scapegoat for a lot of The Process issues.”

“I can play with my back to the basket, but I can face up as well.”

“I didn't want to go to any school but Duke: the best of the best.”

“I became a better talker on the floor, being at Duke, being in leadership with Coach K, and I think I got better defensively as the season progressed.”

“I remember my first camps when I was in high school, freshman year. I did a LeBron James camp, and I thought that was the coolest thing ever.”

“I shoot all kinds of shots. I just don't stay on the block and do layups and dunks when I'm in the gym by myself.”

“Being the No. 1 pick isn't that important to me.”

“I pray to my mother before every game. She passed away when I was 9, but I always consider her my wings on the floor, my extra step, my extra focus, my extra everything, to watch over me when I'm on the court. It takes some pressure off you when you feel like you have your mother above watching you. And I always pray to God for guidance.”

“I'm not a perfect player.”

“I've had a lot of struggles in the NBA, so to have some type of success, it just feels good, and makes you want more.”

“I shoot a lot of bank shots and a lot of shots around the perimeter. There's a lot of things I like to work on, but I know my bread and butter when it comes down to it, and that's in the post.”

“When I found out dairy was an inflammatory, which I had no idea about, I cut that out.”

“I try to make really close bonds with people.”

“You have half a second to make your mind up to know if you're going to shoot, pass, drive. Don't hold the ball too long, and make your decision quick.”