Philadelphia 76ers Position Analysis Under Brett Brown: Part II Power Forward Position

2015: Nerlens Noel / Richaun Holmes / Carl Landry/Jahlil Okafor

With the third pick of the 2015 NBA draft, the Philadelphia 76ers selected center Jahlil Okafor from the ranks of the Duke University Blue Devils. That pick set forces into motion that are still moving…and may be throughout the 2016 season. With the Sixers third top choice from the draft at the center position, the team has a glut of players who learned basketball from the five spot. While they could sort it all out eventually, the first two thirds of the season have not clarified the situation at all.

Nerlens Noel defaulted to the power forward role, a role he had expected to take in playing alongside Joel Embiid. But with Embiid’s second surgery, and Okafor’s arrival, the plan merely adapted to allow Okafor the opportunity to perform in his natural role while he learned the speed and physicality of the NBA.

But as the season has developed, Brown has rotated the responsibilities of Noel and Okafor, giving Okafor time at the four.  After a few looks, it appeared as though Brown had seen enough, and would struggle through the season with Noel at the four, augmented by newcomers veteran Carly Landry and rookie Richaun Holmes.  But as the trade deadline approached, the team execs assembled to discuss the team’s short-term and long-term goals.   Following that get-together, team executive Jerry Colangelo commented about the team’s power forward/center positions, and Brown restored the experimentation of Okafor at the power forward role.  That’s where the team sits for now.  

This year, the power forward position has devolved into a “not playing at the center” role.   With the exceptions of Landry (who averages 6.1 points per game on just 11.1 minutes) and Holmes (who averages 6.0 PPG on just 13.8 minutes), the team is forced into transitioning centers into a power forward role.  But while the lion’s share of the minutes flow to both Okafor and Noel, Holmes is quietly emerging as a solid role player.  Holmes is honing into a solid professional player:

"“The shape I’m in, the way my body works (is different),” he said. “My body fat percentage, I went from like 13 percent to five or six. I only lost 10 pounds, so it’s all muscle. I’m eating more fruits and vegetables.”-Richaun Holmes"

Another variable in the power forward musical chairs is none other than Joel Embiid, who is rehabbing at the Aspetar Podiatry Clinic in Qatar. While official words have been limited, the timing of Embiid’s presence at a rehab clinic suggests that his planned return is not only on track, but that the team is investing heavily to ensure that he is given the best of medical science to ensure it goes smoothly.  And so the 2015-2016 season is one of transition.  Players learning to play the four, a rookie learning to play in the pros, and even a veteran learning that he still has some game left in him.

Next: 2014: Embiid/Saric/Holmes