Dario Saric Completes Philadelphia 76ers Royal Flush

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Feb 23, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor (8) shoots against the defense of Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic (9) during the second half at Wells Fargo Center. The Orlando Magic won 124-115. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

Rim Protection or Excuses?

The reason so many wish to trade Jahlil Okafor is, because he did not deliver in all areas in his 53 games played his rookie season. Subsequently, he has been categorized as an offensive post center and that is all he will ever be in the NBA. These are valid concerns, to a point.

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But when I continue to read about the concerns about the lack of a “rim protector” if the team plays Jahlil Okafor at the center position, it causes questions. That was enough to send me researching the matter. Who protected the rim in the 2016 NBA Championship series?

The top shot blocker for the Golden State Warriors was power forward Draymond Green at 1.78 blocks per game. Warrior center Andrew Bogut came in second with 1.59 blocks per game. Green finished his fourth NBA season. In his first year, he generated .3 blocks per game while appearing in 79 games. Bogut finished his 11th NBA season. In his rookie season, he played 82 games, and averaged .8 blocks per game.

Not to leave it at that, I turned to a more conventional lineup of the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs were led by shooting guard Dahntay Jones, with 2.0 blocks per game. Center Timofey Mozgov came in second place for the Cavaliers with just .8 blocks per game.

Just for the record, Jahlil Okafor played just 53 games, had a starting caliber point guard for just 26 games, moved out to play power forward in some of those 53 games, and ended the season with 1.15 blocks per game. In his rookie season, despite the quality of the team around him, Jahlil Okafor ended up 16th among NBA centers in blocked shots per game.

In any poker hand, no single card in a straight flush has intrinsic value until the other cards end up in the hand. Much of the value of a Jahlil Okafor type center in a Brown offense just got off the bus: Simmons to set the pace and pass, Saric, Luwawu-Cabarrot, and to an extent, even Joel Embiid, to set up proper spacing and take the shots whenever open.

It would be unwise to discard any of our players when it seems we just placed a royal flush into our hands.

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