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Court Vision: Jahlil Okafor making the most of Anthony Davis' absence

Joe Murphy / National Basketball Association / Getty

Welcome to Court Vision, a weekly video-breakdown column on emerging trends around the NBA that you might have missed.

Jahlil Okafor making the most of his second chance

Make no mistake: life will be miserable for the New Orleans Pelicans after Anthony Davis forces his way out of town.

Davis likely won't be the only departure. Julius Randle, Nikola Mirotic, and E'Twaun Moore are reportedly available for draft picks, and if they leave, what purpose does Jrue Holiday serve in the rebuild? Odds are the Pelicans will tank the remainder of the season and look to assess their future assets.

Jahlil Okafor has been the main beneficiary amid all the chaos. Okafor is averaging 20 points and 10.5 rebounds while shooting a blistering 69.2 percent from the field in the six games since Davis went down with a finger injury. He looks 30 pounds lighter than when he was a rookie but has retained those balletic post moves and feathery touch around the rim.

Courtesy: NBA League Pass

He's even showcasing some rare bounce, which definitely wasn't there before he shed the weight:

Courtesy: NBA League Pass

The highest-profile casualty of Sam Hinkie's infamous "process," Okafor is all too familiar with tanking. The lesson learned: every player - even a third overall pick - is expendable in a losing situation. Okafor averaged 18 points and seven rebounds while being named a first-team All-Rookie in 2016, but then Joel Embiid came along and Okafor was unceremoniously salary dumped a year later.

That said, Okafor was hardly blameless in his own demise. Off-court scandals besmirched his reputation and he was labeled as outdated - an undersized center who was a black hole in the post and allergic to defense. The best-case scenario for a player of that profile is to become a backup, which explains why he went unsigned for most of last summer.

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My summer of transformation: First off I want to thank @idanwan & @dzandertraining for getting after it with me the moment my season ended. Grateful to have two of the best in their respective fields work with me all summer. Although the physical changes in this photo are evident, their has been extreme growth unbenounced to the eye. I’ve learned how to identify and manage different stressors such as anxiety. Learning how to identify certain stressors has also allowed me to over come them. Often times because of my size and profession people may view me in a certain way, but in reality I deal with the same struggles as countless others. Mental health awareness is a cause I will fight for the rest of my life and if you’re struggling today don’t be afraid to speak with someone and seek help. I would like to thank @kevinlove and the @playerstribune for helping me identify my feelings and informing me what I was dealing with was in fact normal. 6 weeks left in the off season; with a lot more work to do!

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Okafor used the extra time off to get his body and mind right, and now he's finally getting a second chance. His endurance is noticeably improved and he's holding his own on defense. More importantly, he's stayed sharp despite a lack of playing time, which speaks to a more mature mindset.

Is D'Angelo Russell for real?

Here's the thing with D'Angelo Russell: he always teases you with potential.

Russell has come alive over the last 15 games, averaging 23.8 points and 7.3 assists while shooting 48 percent from the field and 41 percent from deep. He even drew considerable All-Star buzz, which would have seemed implausible as recently as December, when it wasn't clear if Russell was better than his backup in Spencer Dinwiddie.

On the surface, it looks as though the former No. 2 pick is finally making the leap in his fourth season. But this could also be just another one of his hot stretches. Russell started last season averaging 21 points and six assists before succumbing to injury after 12 games. The year prior, he had a 17-game run in which he averaged 20 points and six assists.

The one noticeable improvement is Russell's playmaking in the pick-and-roll. He's more poised, has a better understanding of where his options are at any given time, and is craftier when it comes to manipulating timing and angles to deliver assists through the narrowest of windows.

Courtesy: NBA League Pass

More importantly, this is the first time in Russell's career that his individual production has translated into team results; The Nets have rattled off a 20-6 run over the past two months to firmly secure their place as a playoff team.

Russell is set to become a restricted free agent this summer and he will surely garner interest from several teams in need of an up-and-coming point guard. Will Brooklyn match a hefty price, or will it let him go with Dinwiddie already locked into a long-term deal? That all depends on if Russell can maintain his current level of play.

Pacers clueless without Victor Oladipo

The Pacers are trying to pick up the pieces after losing Victor Oladipo for the season, and it's just not working. Indiana is 0-4 without its franchise player and has suffered double-digit losses to Washington and Memphis.

Generating offense is a constant struggle. Most of Indiana's sets have been rerouted through the post - which makes sense given that their top three remaining players are bigs - but it's not leading to success. They're entirely predictable and defenses are breaking up their plays with ease.

Courtesy: NBA League Pass

But the Pacers don't have any better options. Darren Collison and Cory Joseph are pass-first guards who can't be relied upon as scorers. Bojan Bogdanovic can put up points but things go awry when he tries to create his own offense. Tyreke Evans should be able to pick up some slack but he's been slumping all season.

Dirk Nowitzki's last dance

There's something admirable about Dirk Nowitzki's approach to his final season. He isn't demanding minutes, he's not hogging the spotlight, and he's not pretending he's bigger than the team.

The stiff and creaky 40-year-old is just getting in where he can. Nowitzki is happily serving as the Mavericks' 11th man and seems grateful for the scant minutes that come his way. He comes in for the start of the second quarter and occasionally logs back in for the fourth if the score is lopsided. Otherwise, Nowitzki is on the bench cheering on his teammates.

Most retirement tours reek of charity, but Nowitzki's case is different. There's a certain satisfaction in seeing him pull off his iconic baseline fadeaway with players half his age swarming him. It's a testament to his greatness and all the work that went into it.

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