76ers Brown Pulls Plug On Power Forwarding Jahlil Okafor

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.

More from Sixers News

• 3 Sixers players who could help Team USA Basketball
• 76ers 2k24 ratings: 3 most underrated players on Philadelphia roster
• 76ers head coach Nick Nurse bares lofty plans for Paul Reed this season
• Grade the Trade: 76ers swap Tobias Harris for superstar PG in mock deal
• Breaking Down Bombshell Report on Sixers Star James Harden

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

Noel Is Team Player

Noel was the player who saw the challenges coming and worked hard in the off-season to acclimate his game to the demands of the four spot. His practice sessions at Newport Rhode Island were intended to bring his game up at power forward. But the effort has been a struggle so far.  In terms of flexibility, Noel has been a true professional, accepting whatever role has been asked of him.

When the season started, they asked Noel to set up at power forward. When he struggled there, the team asked him to rotate off the bench. When Jahlil Okafor was suspended for two games, Nerlens Noel was given the chance to play center again. When Ish Smith returned, Nerlens Noel was asked to rekindle the magic he shared with Smith a year ago. At all junctures this season, Noel has acquiesced to the requests of the team.

“It’s been a difficult adjustment at times.” – Nerlens Noel

It’s a nice refreshing change in the face of the player issues in other Philadelphia sports franchises.

"“We had some wins with Nerlens at a 5, then Jahlil got healthy and Nerlens gets bumped back to the 4,” Brown said. “He’s got to play defense sometimes as a 4 and offense sometimes as a 4. Jah has been where he’s always been, so Jahlil really isn’t taking a hit as far as a comfort level. Nerlens most definitely is. I know at times that would be frustrating for him."

Noel revealed that he’s worked hard and making the best of the situation.

"“It’s been a difficult adjustment at times. It’s different,” Noel said. “Obviously, a new position is something new in the game of basketball when you’re not really used to it. You have to adjust in different ways. I’m better with more things that a 5 man does right now.”"

We had thought at one point that the Sixers would flip the pair, and give Noel a chance at center while Okafor adapted his game to the four spot. But that option has now been closed.

Next: Brett Browns Dilemma

Brett Browns Dilemma

"“I think it’s one thing for me to sit here and beat my chest and say we’re going to persevere and we’re going to grow these two young guys, and it’s another thing to be too reckless and say ‘Jahlil go guard these high flyers and three point [shooters].  I don’t think Jahlil can guard chase guys (like) the Rudy Gays, Kevin Loves.  I don’t think he can do it. Nerlens can better do it,” Brown continued. “That’s never been him. And I think foot speed and his body right now won’t allow it. Every sort of gut feel, if you’re just trying to win the championship now, says you’d split them up and off we go,” “You have two great 5 men and you pair them up with the point guards and sprinkle shooters around them and life’s nice. But that’s not my place now. My place is to develop these guys and try to grow them and give it a chance,” Brown continued. “It comes with pain as a team, and at times with the individuals because they’re out of position at times, but to just say ‘You’re not this and you’re never going to be this’ at 21 years old is just so reckless and wrong and naive on my part.”"

If the Sixers had solid and consistant perimeter shooting, the team could theoretically make this work. Flashes of potential have ignited in Robert Covington, Nik Stauskas, and even Isaiah Canaan. But the gust of the next game seemingly has extinguished their shooting proficiency, and the team is back to moving the ball down the court, feeding to the post man Okafor, and hoping it works.

With a 4-36 record, that success rate is pretty bleak.

Next: Jahlil Okafor Does Post Game Well

Jahlil Okafor Does Post Game Well

The detemining factor of all of this is the adaptibility of the current roster. If Noel can play both center and power forward, and Embiid can play both center and power forward, is Jahlil Okafor the odd man out because the coach of the Philadelphia 76ers has announced he can’t play at the four?

Hardly.

The bread and butter of Jahlil Okafor is the post game, but it’s success is dependant upon perimeter shooting. If you can’t attack an NBA team from long range, they can clog bodies in on your post man and frustrate him the entire evening.

How does Okafor find playing with the former starting center for the Sixers?

"“I enjoy playing with him,” Okafor said. “He’s really skilled. He’s a great passer. We’re just trying to figure out. We’re trying to build some chemistry and I think we have. I think we’ll continue to get better.”"

So far, Okafor has reason to enjoy the status quo. He’s been doing very well so far in the NBA,  folks.  He’s 19 years old, playing on the worst team in the NBA, but he’s currently averaging 17.4 points per game on an average of 30.4 minutes.  And in his first season, with an ever changing roster, that’s quite a feat.  What happens in year two, when the roster stabilizes and he begins to build an anticipation with this teammates?

Is 25 points per game a possibility out of Okafor?  It certainly appears so.  He’s improving all the time.

Next: Joel Embiid Will Add New Wrinkle

Joel Embiid Will Add A New Wrinkle

If height gives an advantage, then the Sixers are sitting on a diamond mine. Joel Embiid has grown to 7’2″ in height, and his reputation is keeping pace. And it’s been two years since the team took a flyer on drafting him in the 2014 NBA draft. But despite the long wait, the risk of erosion of Embiid’s many basketball talents, the news of Joel Embiid’s attitude and his perseverance has given the Sixers the chance at having the last laugh on the NBA.

Few teams would have given such a promising young man a chance so early in the NBA draft. But the Philadelphia 76ers, fresh off giving a similar chance to Nerlens Noel, were overjoyed to have Embiid fall to them at number three.

But this road has been not for the faint of heart.  Few other teams in the NBA would have shown the devotion to a player who has yet to play a minute of NBA regulation basketball.  And few players in the NBA would take a two year path to the NBA following the draft and actually appear stronger and more NBA ready from the experience.

And he does. He was rumored to have been hooked on Shirley Temples when he was between therapy. Must have worked for him.

Embiid has a remarkably unique ability to play a post game but pop out to the perimeter and drain threys. His anticipated arrival complicates the Sixers current situation as he will likely play better with either Okafor or Noel. But before they are all paired up, it will be impossible to judge how to best structure their chemistry and court compatibility.

Next: Is A Trade Inevitable?

Is A Trade Inevitable?

As much as I want all three big men to remain on this team, right now it appears to be a race against time. Can we truly expect the players to reach an “AHA!” moment despite the challenges?

"“I can’t quit on that now,” Brown said. “To just say you’re not this and you’re never going to be this at 21 years old is just so reckless and wrong and naive on my part. You have Joel Embiid, you have Jahlil Okafor, you have Nerlens Noel. “Every sort of gut feel, if you were going to try to win the championship now, says you’d split them up and off we go. We’ll talk about it until (the April 13 season finale). Nerlens is going to have to find Kevin Love or Dirk Nowitzki. That’s what we’re going to do for a while and then you will see that split up, but I’m not abandoning it completely.”"

But conventional wisdom will creep into the Sixers thinking and their long term strategy. The players are both working off the same instincts. With just Brett Brown at the helm, patience would win the day. But Jerry Colangelo and Mike D’Antoni now are seated around that table, and they are mainstream NBA. And what does an unnamed NBA executive say about this team? Well, one found reason to speak about the Sixers in early December:

"“They can’t play together. I just don’t see it. Watch them defensively. Their instincts are both to defend the paint, because that is exactly what they’ve been doing all their lives. But here’s the problem. When the Sixers miss a shot or commit a turnover, both Noel and Okafor run back on defense and instinctively run to the rim, which they have been taught all their lives. Problem is, there is a Dirk Nowitzki or LaMarcus Aldridge or Kevin Love spotting up, waiting to get a wide-open shot. “I don’t know if they can figure that out. The advantage to it is that Brett has been around this situation before when he was in San Antonio and they were figuring out how to best get along with (Tim) Duncan and (David) Robinson. Of course, those are two Hall of Fame players. But they were also different types of players so you had a lot more to work with than you might with Noel and Okafor. They’re both still so young and probably will get a lot better, but right now you are trying to piece together two guys who are fives (centers). Noel isn’t a power forward. He needs to be near the rim where he is an extremely good defender.” – an unnamed NBA executive"

Next: Speculate

Speculate

Of course, any “unnamed NBA executive” can say anything, since they won’t be tasked with defending their statements. It’s simplistic to draw a permanent to their entire career conclusion on what amounts to 50% of their first and only NBA season together. Simplistic and naive.  Patience is a virtue, but have the Sixers run out of theirs?  In bringing on Mike D’Antoni, Brett Brown now has a second set of eyes.   Is D’Antoni seeing what Brown is seeing?   And despite how they feel, will the voice of Colangelo boom to force the Sixers into playing one or the other but not both?

“They (Noel and Okafor) just can’t play together” – unnamed NBA executive

Speculation is logical now.  On a team with multiple “new” variables, it’s not out of the question to ask if any of the players on the roster would end up in a trade.  Painful as it sounds and feels, if the team wants to formulate a particular game style to succeed, they must learn now that everyone who plays well will fit that scheme.  If not, trading now could net a premium from a team near playoff standing but wanting to get over the hump.  Of course, the who to trade with and who to trade for is equally part of the question.  Trades must be self serving.  Right now, the Sixers are awash with future draft picks and young players.   With some pieces falling into place, they may be ready to jump to the next level by offering a package for the services of Indiana Pacers small forward Paul George.   George would be an incredible addition to a team which could boast Noel, Embiid, George, Saric, and Simmons as a starting five.

ALSO ON SIXER SENSE: 2016 is a Pivotal Year for the Philadelphia 76ers

Perhaps another player might make sense.  If the Sixers determine the future is closer than we think, now is the time to brace ourselves.  This team is still evolving.  But the unknown is all too familiar to president and general manager Sam Hinkie.

Perhaps he’s the best suited for the months ahead.  He seems to have a knack of turning 50/50 odds into a certainty.