76ers Brown Pulls Plug On Power Forwarding Jahlil Okafor
By Bret Stuter
Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown pulls the plug on working Jahlil Okafor at the power forward position.
Center Jahlil Okafor, Power Forward Nerlens Noel. Center Nerlens Noel, Power Forward Jahlil Okafor. One of these things is not like the other. Can you guess which? If you said power forward Jahlil Okafor, you’d be right – at least as far as the perspective of head coach Brett Brown, that is. That is something he addressed before the Cleveland Cavaliers game on January 10, 2016.
“I don’t think Jahlil can guard and chase guys like the Rudy Gay‘s and Kevin Love‘s. I don’t think he can do it,” Brown said of Okafor
From the moment the team drafted the best player available at the three spot of the NBA 2015 draft, their has been a lot of discussion how to pair the two healthy big draft choices on the floor at the same time. They are both very talented players. Jahlil Okafor is outstanding on offense, and his stats continue to show his full arsenal of offense even at the tender age of 19 in the NBA. He’ll be a good one.
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But Nerlens Noel is just as talented in his own right. With the arrival of point guard Ish Smith, the team has benefited from a resurgence in Noel’s game – both offensively and defensively. so what’s the problem? Real estate. Both play their optimal game at the five. And so far, Brett Brown has not figured out a way to convert the 4 and 5 spots into a pair of 4.5’s which each player can excel at. And so, the team continues down the path of trial and error.
Next: Noel is Team Player