Has Jahlil Okafor Played Last Game As A Sixer?

Jahlil Okafor was an unexpected bonus from the 2015 NBA Draft, unanimously considered as the best player available when the Philadelphia 76ers picked third. But with the return of Joel Embiid to health, and clarity that the team considers Nerlens Noel to be a natural rim-protecting center, does the team field calls to trade Jahlil Okafor this off-season

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, or more appropriately, Jahlil Okafor on the roster is worth two picks in the draft. At least, that should be the thinking of the Philadelphia 76ers front office for now as they begin to gear up for a very busy, and likely one of the most important, off-seasons of president and general manager’s career. But for now, the team is weighing out recent events.

With just nine victories, the team is desperate to improve the overall quality of the team next season. Part of that upgrade will take place when the team welcomes Dario Saric and Joel Embiid to the active roster next season, and another step forward will come as a result of the Philadelphia 76ers 2016 NBA draft, a draft that could net them four overall first round draft picks, and two top five picks.

But a third method would certainly be considering trade options. With the team focusing center Nerlens Noel on rim protecting duties and with the season ending soon, the other active center, Jahlil Okafor, is stuck in rehabilitation limbo. He had complained of soreness in his shin, and later developed swelling in his knee. The injury was severe enough for the team to pursue diagnostic imaging services, which revealed that Jahlil Okafor had a torn meniscus.

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With his absence for the remainder of the season, and with the advent of the NBA draft looming, the Sixers may opt to unclog the front court to convert a quality player into draft assets to be used to improve the play of the back court. Despite playing for a bad team, the rookie center from Duke University had a tremendously productive rookie season. At the end of the NBA trade deadline, it was reported that the team had interest in their rookie center, but no trades developed.

One of the keys to the teams overall makeup is the newly hired executive Jerry Colangelo. Colangelo spoke about the Sixers big man dilemma in early February. Since he is the final say on transactions, his thoughts are integral on the matter:

"“For me it’s still too early to see how that plays out (the compatibility of Okafor and Noel). Everyone is optimistic (about Embiid). But we still have to find out whether he can play, will he hold up. So right now, that’s a strength as we relate to the three bigs. But at some point, you have to make a decision on what to do, how to do it. If Nerlens could be a power forward that could be a different story. Right now, his natural position is he’s a center. He’s a rim protector. He is who he is. As you go forward and try to analyze this thing — what the best combination? Who complements one another? How do you surround the player? You look at Okafor, you look at what he can do and his deficiencies. How do you surround him to protect? You see how that all plays out. I’m interested to see how guys play now until the end of the season. People like to talk about here’s the trade deadline. That’s going to come and that’s going to go. We still have to play X number of games before the end of the season. That’s all part of the analysis in terms of what we do relative to the draft, free agency and other options at the end of the year.”"

Jerry Colangelo is in no hurry to move any quality players off the roster. For now, president and general manager Sam Hinkie would likely hesitate to do so as well. Jahlil Okafor was the third pick in the 2015 NBA draft. While his offense proved to be superior to most NBA rookies, he has had a storied year that has included discipline, finding the right fit on the team, and now the minor injury at the end of the NBA season. Hinkie trades players whose value has risen dramatically over their worth to the team. For now, Jahlil Okafor’s value to this team is undetermined – at least until the team can mix and match the combinations available when Joel Embiid returns to health.