2016: Jahlil Okafor / Nerlens Noel
And with the past and present comes the future. The future of the 76ers is awfully bright, but the details will always be fuzzy when you consider the team now has the dynamics of Jerry Colangelo and Sam Hinkie at work. With a team roster full of talent, the greatest factor is in the patience of the front office in watching this team grown together. So despite the factor of potentially four first round draft picks in the 2016 NBA draft, and despite the myriad of draft scenarios which have, are, and will be discussed, I cannot see the personality of Jerry Colangelo watching a prospect in the likes of either Okafor or Noel leaving via an NBA trade.
I project the starting center for the 2016 Philadelphia 76ers as Jahlil Okafor, with Nerlens Noel coming off the bench in both a center and part-time power forward role. While there are many things which could change in the meantime, I believe that Colangelo is the hand of patience and “watch and see” when it comes to player development. It was his hand that guided the Sixers to restore Ish Smith to the roster, where he was the point guard last season but was allowed to explore free agency. That lesson becomes the template in my projection.
Should either Okafor or Noel become injured, as happens routinely in the NBA, the other merely slides in with more minutes per game. Both players can excel at offense, but Okafor has the stronger post game. Both players can play defense, but Noel has the stronger rim protection. So why should the team choose prematurely? The wild card factor will be the development and emergence of Joel Embiid. As I’ve been watching and notating, his game is the most likely to translate into that of a stretch four.
If the team stays with the current center rotation, the off-season will likely be one of Okafor working on his rebounds while Noel will continue to work on his mid range game. Optimism for this solution is based in the age of the players: Okafor is a tender 19 and Noel is just 21. This is their first year of playing together and will have moments of improvement followed by moments of confusion. But the overall trend of the pairing is positive as each learns about the other.
The 2016 roster will offer both players as center. If the team needs stronger defense and faster play, Noel will be ready to step in. If the team needs stronger offense and a more physical presence at the post, look for Okafor to play more minutes. The beauty of how this could unfold is that the Sixers needn’t move either player. They have plenty of draft currency to use without converting one of their future stars into more draft picks. The question then falls upon the head coach, Brett Brown. Can he bring the two to realize their fullest potential?
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