Game Preview – LA Lakers @ Philadelphia 76ers

Storyline Future: Jahlil Okafor and D’Angelo Russell

This past draft was an important one for both franchises. This year Philly and LA picked the future faces of their teams, as one went with the traditional big-man and the other with the crafty guard. While in college both of these players flashed many signs of potential that made scouts salivate, and with a little more seasoning will be big names to come.

Jahlil Okafor must be taking all of this losing very tough. He has been a perennial winning all his life and this current streak with the Sixers is the most losing he’s even experienced. Not only that but lately he has been getting unwanted attention from the media and is now assigned someone to chaperone him along to avoid further damage to his reputation. However, on the court he has been a true revelation, averaging 17.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game and a leading candidate for Rookie of the Year. Sure, he can be better on the defensive end, but he needs to conserve energy somewhere to be the initiator and finisher of the offense. I’m sure many 76ers fans will say that he has been better than what they were expecting after he was drafted.

D’Angelo Russell was the player many fans wanted the 76ers to take, but LA unceremoniously snatched him with the #2 overall pick, before the Sixers’ pick at #3. After being taken, many seem to think that D’Angelo has not been put in the best situation to develop. He is surrounded by players who play the same, or similar positions as him and is hardly ever the first name to be called for playing time. Not only that, but he has to defer to one of the greatest players of all time in Kobe Bryant.

At the end of this game, I have to stress that it’s still too early to judge both players on how they will be down the line. Both have shown flashes of brilliance and frustration, but that is part of the learning process that they have to go through to become better players. While they’re here, lets just enjoy their presence and cheer for the small victories they may have tonight, especially since we’ll be seeing both of them for years to come.

Next: Preview Wrapup