The Sixer Sense
Fansided

How Jahlil Okafor and Ben Simmons Can be a Power Duo

By Josh Wilson

Nov 9, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; The Philadelphia 76ers logo on the warm up shirt of center Jahlil Okafor (not pictured) prior to action against the Chicago Bulls at Wells Fargo Center. The Bulls won 111-88. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 9, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; The Philadelphia 76ers logo on the warm up shirt of center Jahlil Okafor (not pictured) prior to action against the Chicago Bulls at Wells Fargo Center. The Bulls won 111-88. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Example

The second scenario involves the same setup, with a little variation added in. Simmons moving on the right side of the floor will bring over some of the opposition, and shift the defense from the left to the right, leaving Okafor open on the left, perhaps with just his defender on him. In this, however, there’s a wrinkle with an added pass at the top of the 3-point line.

The ball will go first to the player at the top of the arc, and hopefully they are a solid 3-point shooter — this further emphasizes why surrounding the Sixers’ front court with shooters is important — so that the defense is concerned enough to move attention towards the player at the top of the key.

The ball being at the top of the key may throw Okafor’s man off, leaving him even more open. The Sixers teammate at the top of the key can then put the ball with Okafor for a fairly easy one-on-one situation to get to the bucket and score.

On the contrary, since Simmons is such a good passer, I have confidence in his ability to get the ball from one side of the floor to the other, which is why I drew in an alternate initial pass for the Sixers.

Next: A cutting Okafor