Philadelphia 76ers: Jahlil Okafor Remains Perfect for the Rebuild
By Dan Falcone
Jahlil Okafor is working out for the Philadelphia 76ers offensively, but his defensive flaws make him perfect for their rebuild.
The pre-season consensus choice for Rookie of the Year , Philadelphia 76ers’ Jahlil Okafor, is working out, in a big way.
How about his latest production:
- Okafor registered team highs in both points (25) and rebounds (10) on his way to a double-double versus Portland.
- Okafor scored 12 points on 5/11 field goals grabbing four rebounds and blocking one shot against the Bulls.
- Okafor scored a team-high 21 points on 9/15 field goals in addition to seven rebounds against the Cavaliers.
- Okafor also made 9/15 field goals en route to 19 points as he dished out a career-high four assists versus Toronto.
- Okafor scored a team-high 21 points on 9 for 16 field goals and grabbed seven rebounds versus Atlanta.
- Okafor has scored at least 20 points in 15 games this season and that is the most among rookies. The next closest rookie is Karl Anthony Towns who has 11 games with 20 points or more.
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
Furthermore, Okafor has scored at least 20 points in 15 of his first 37 pro games and according to Basketball Reference the last rookie centers to score 20 plus points in at least 15 of their first 37 NBA career games were Alonzo Mourning and Shaquille O’Neal who both did it in 1992-1993.
And still more Okafor; he has more 20 point games this season than:
- Detroit’s Andre Drummond who has 14.
- Dallas’s future Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki who also has 14.
- Cleveland’s Kevin Love who has 12.
- The Clippers Chris Paul who also has 12.
- Future HOF Kobe Bryant of the Lakers with 11
- San Antonio’s LaMarcus Aldridge also with 11.
(This all according to Basketball Reference)
Okafor’s 10 of 19 points in the first quarter against Toronto, according to Elia’s Sports Bureau was his eighth 10 point first quarter of the year.
But read deeper. What do you see at second glance? A blocked shot. A. Seemingly every photograph of JO is something being created offensively.
He is a good player; perfect for fantasy league drafts and a perfect pickup player. He is admired by Duke fans especially and Sixers fans who like numbers and offense, I get it.
Okafor will go on to be a career post player in the NBA and provide solid offensive service for a team in the league; no questions. And that is why he is a perfect trade commodity.
The Sixers need long-term people on the roster and they need to use every person of value to get to that stage. Okafor has incredible value on the trade market and he has great value offensively.
The reality is for the long term and for a coach that’s dedicated to transition and conversion, and dedicated to stopping the ball and moving with all five guys on the floor while using the frontcourt as the anchor of the defense, Okafor is not it.
One must move their feet to front the post, to block shots, to be active, to grab defensive rebounds, to crash the glass with reckless abandon, to swarm the ball and the dribbler with reckless abandon, to move laterally quickly, and stop the offense defiantly.
This is not his skill set.
Most front office people in the NBA look at the stat sheet because the stat sheet is objective and can save their job and justify their decisions. But coaches know the cost-benefit analysis of each player and the risk reward factor for a player of Okafor’s caliber.
He simply adds up higher on the trade side of the ledger.