Philadelphia 76ers Draft History: All Big Men

Jahlil Okafor

Jahlil Okafor is the most recent draft pick that the Sixers have acquired, and he is also a very big part of this rebuild. His rookie season has come to a premature close due to a slight tear in his meniscus, but he had a great rookie campaign. Okafor came in and exceeded my expectations from the very first game.

In his rookie season, Okafor finished averaging 17.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. He was an incredible scorer and a great paint presence, but also showed improvement with some range, as well as an improved free-throw shot and better effort on defense.

One of the questions is if Okafor will remain on this team next year, and if he has already played his last game as a Sixer. Because he’s so good, and because Philly needs to make room for Embiid to come back, either him or Nerlens Noel is expected to eventually depart. Okafor’s high value makes him a pretty decent selling point and would yield the highest return.

The biggest question going forward with Okafor on any team is if he can fit in to a system where he isn’t necessarily the focal point. He was scoring a lot this season because he was the go-to guy, and if that wasn’t his role moving forward as more and more pieces come in for Philly, it’s not a sure thing that his scoring will keep up.

Next: Hinkie's History of Second-round Selections

In any case, Okafor had a great rookie year and was a great draft pick, because the Sixers will be able to use him to their advantage on the floor or in a trade.