Quotes from Jahlil Okafor

Rankings, for most players, are like adversity because we all want to be the best. So you've just got to approach it like you would a tough situation on the court. You just have to respond.

I'd like to win Rookie of the Year.

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

First time we played together was when I was in seventh grade, he was in eighth. There was a lot of buzz in the city about Jabari Parker, rightfully so. He's obviously a major player. I was just blessed to have him one year ahead of me, so everything I did, he already finished. I've been really blessed to have him by my side.

It's nice to be able to go against bigger guys and be able to bang.

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

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

Every game is going to be different.

My main focus, my pride is right there on the block. That's where I've always played and my focus has always been.

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.

I try to make really close bonds with people.

I don't want to say why I should be picked over somebody. I just want to say why I should be picked for any team.

At the end of the day, I know what my bread and butter is and how I can be effective.

People in New Orleans have been so supportive of me and the team. I love walking around here, because the people have been great.

Speeding obviously is illegal. I know that's not what you're supposed to do.

Playing games and watching film, I've been able to see the improvements I can make and how much better I can be. It's exciting to think about it.

I'm definitely not the caliber player that LeBron is, but I find it funny how people can criticize him and the way he plays the game. So it's pretty easy to criticize me if they are still able to criticize LeBron.

I just think that playing in a championship game and playing in every game in March Madness, that's just more time for critics to watch you and more time for them to nitpick at what you don't do well or what they feel you don't do well.

I've talked to a bunch of big men who told me they didn't really start playing basketball until seventh or eighth grade. That wasn't the situation with me.

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've always been the tallest guy in my age group, which always made me go right down in the post.

Coach K was fine with the way I played defense.

That's one of things I've heard about Brooklyn - how good they are at developing players.

I never had to worry about putting a target on somebody else's back. Usually, the target was on my back.