Jerry Colangelo has a role to play for the Sixers, but first impressions had been that he was content to advise general manager Sam Hinkie behind the scenes. Recent events suggest, however, that he has a much more active role in the day to day of this team. It seems that Colangelo sees Jahlil Okafor as a power forward. Will it work?
It happened on Groundhog day, February 2nd. Exec Jerry Colangelo, president and general manager Sam Hinkie, and head coach Brett Brown were conversing during practice. Pretty routine stuff. Afterwards, the principals met with media and answered questions. In one such exchange, Jerry Colangelo responded to a question about his view of Nerlens Noel playing at the power forward position. Colangelo responded.
We noted the quote of Jerry Colangelo on February 2nd, and cited it in an article about the Philadelphia 76ers seeking two way players going foward. But lo and behold, there was more than meets the eye on this one. You see, Jerry Colangeol was brought in to add quality control to the team, and part of that process is realigning the roles of players when they are out of their natural element.
At least, you can come to that conclusion after recent events involving Colangelo, head coach Brett Brown, Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel. Colangelo’s comment was made with authority, which gave me pause at the time. What would this mean to Jahlil Okafor?
What does this mean for Jahlil Okafor? Philadelphia 76ers First Strategy Clue - Two Way Players https://t.co/KYcqW10I9w
— Bret Stuter 🏈🐑+ 🏀🐺 (@milroyigglesfan) February 2, 2016
The 76ers have plenty of questions this season, and the top of the unknown began harmlessly when the team drafted center Jahlil Okafor. They already had an up and coming center in Nerlens Noel, who had planned to migrate to the power forward position to make room for returning to health Joel Embiid. Embiid did not return to health as quickly as hoped, but with the arrival of Okafor, the team made good on its plan and simply slid Okafor into the five in place of Embiid.
Brett Brown knows that both Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel are incredibly talented players. He also knows that he has a small window, perhaps as little as this season, to find a way to optimize their play simultaneously on the basketball court. With Jahlil Okafor’s physiacality, and ability to bang at the boards, the first option was to push Noel out to the four and allow him to use his athelticism and speed to guard power forwards who can go both low or out to the perimeter. He even spent an entire summer relearning his trade – both offensively and defensively, to make it happen.
But it hasn’t. Seemingly the moment when Jerry Colangelo took notice, the team found itself looking for new options>
Colangelo: 'If Nerlens could be a PF, that would be a different story. He's a rim protector. He is who he is.' pic.twitter.com/ePvXK5gRXg
— Tom Moore (@TomMoorePhilly) February 2, 2016
Seemingly the moment when Jerry Colangelo took notice, the team found itself looking for new options. And so, the team is now revisiting playing Jahlil Okafor at the four. Funny thing is, this is something Brett Brown had pulled the plug on about a month earlier. You see, This is not the first time Brett Brown had attempted to have Okafor play at power forward. But after several attempts, he appeared to have abandoned the experiment.
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Brett Brown is a patient man, patent to a fault. So it was expected to be a done deal when even he had lost hope of keeping Nerlens Noel at center and moving Jahlil Okafor out to the power forward spot.
"“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"
So the situation seemed to be reaching a stalemate, until Colangelo broke the logjam with his seemingly harmless comment to the media. And it may be that Colangelo may know what he’s talking about too. The game against the Brooklyn Nets ended with a victory, and with Okafor defending the four man again.
"“Obviously I’m not accustomed to [the 4], but the more I play it, hopefully I get more comfortable doing it,” Okafor said. “I felt a little better tonight than when I first started doing it.”"
It stands to reason with the first year in the NBA, and now for the first time in a new position, that Jahlil Okafor is unaccustomed to playing that positions. But similarly, at nineteen years of age and if this is a permanent change in his career, Okafor can most certainly grow into the new position. It’s certainly something we will find out this season, apparently.
Next: Philadelphia 76ers Secure Win Over Brooklyn Nets
Is this Jerry Colangelo’s doing? It’s nearly impossible to conclude otherwise based upon the sequence of events. But if Jahlil Okafor at the four and Nerlens Noel at the five can deliver offensively and defensively like they did against the Brooklyn Nets going forward? Is this truly how good Jerry Colangelo is? Can he eyeball two young players and see the best fit for them on the team? Early results are promising indeed.
It seems that we have something very special to look forward to.