2015: Jahlil Okafor / Nerlens Noel
And so, here we are today. The pairing of center Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel. Two talented young men with upsides that go as high as the imagination will allow, but whose styles are so vastly different that sports analysts and fans have continued an ongoing debate over who will stay and who will be traded.
But let’s not rush to the exit just yet. You see, a curious thing happened to the team in the 2015 NBA draft. The team was thought to have it’s sights squarely upon a point guard, and the top rated point guard for the draft was D’Angelo Russell. The tricky part was that the Sixers would once more be picking third, with the Minnesota Timberwolves picking first and the Los Angeles Lakers picking second.
Projections were nearly unanimous in anticipating the Timberwolves selection of big man Karl Anthony-Towns (KAT) and the Lakers filling a front court need with the like of center Jahlil Okafor. While the Timberwolves followed their script closely and drafted KAT, the Lakers threw a curve ball into the draft by selecting point guard Russell. That left the Sixers to draft the best player available in Jahlil Okafor, despite the talented depth already included Noel and Embiid. In a strange twist of fates, the arrival of new center Jahlil Okafor coincided with the news of a setback to Joel Embiid’s recovery, and the fact that he would need an additional surgery. While fans and writers examined the status of Embiid, and the factors that led to the second surgery, debates waged as to what Jahlil Okafor would bring to the team in Embiid’s absence.
You see, Jahlil Okafor was a post man, a high scoring center for the Duke Blue Devils, but who was suspected of poor defensive skills. Actually, the Blue Devils were undermanned, and therefore Okafor was coached NOT to challenge defensively to avoid foul trouble on a shallow roster. So far this season the results have been fairly impressive.
Okafor has been leading the team on offense since day one, despite the fact that opponents know he must be taken out of the game. His 17.4 PPG, 7.3 RPG, and 1.15 BPG is an impressive performance for an NBA rookie. It’s been impressive enough to place Okafor on the Rookie Ladder watch list. Coupled with his 2.2 TPG with his .44 SPG aqnd you’ve got a good foundation for a team that will go places in the future.
Next: Noel Takes On Two Roles