The Sixer Sense
Fansided

Which Philadelphia 76ers Player Emerges First?

By Bret Stuter

Jan 27, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown talks with his team during the fourth quarter of the game against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. The Pistons defeated the 76ers 110-97. Mandatory Credit: Leon Halip-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 27, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown talks with his team during the fourth quarter of the game against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. The Pistons defeated the 76ers 110-97. Mandatory Credit: Leon Halip-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 12, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor (8) works against Atlanta Hawks center Dwight Howard (8) during the first half at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 12, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor (8) works against Atlanta Hawks center Dwight Howard (8) during the first half at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /

Jahlil Okafor

The 2015-2016 was not set up to benefit Jahlil Okafor’s post presence. However, the team “made do” and let Okafor do the rest. That allowed Jahlil Okafor to lead the team in scoring in the 2015-2016 season.

In 53 games played, and just 48 starts, Okafor scored 17.5 points per game, pulled down 7.0 rebounds, handed off 1.2 assists, blocked 1.15 shots, and stole .42 times per game.

The hope for this season was that Jahlil Okafor would walk into a more “Okafor friendly” roster and unload his scoring upon the NBA.  So far, that hasn’t taken place.

Jahlil Okafor is coming back from meniscus surgery, and so far he is on a similar minutes restrictions as Joel Embiid.  That means that Jahlil Okafor often finds himself coming off the bench. As a matter of fact, of nine appearances so far, seven have been in a reserve role for Jahlil Okafor.
And all have been at the center position.

Averaging just 19.1 minutes per game, Okafor is nowhere near his 2015-2016 average of 30 minutes per game. While that is the major contributor to scoring just 10.4 points per game so far, there are other factors as well.

Jahlil Okafor is still coming back to full strength.  While he  has made great strides, he is still not 100 percent healthy.

Beyond that , it appears as though he is working to improve his defense.  He is only at 3.8 rebounds per game, but up to 1.11 blocks per game and .44 steals per game. This conclusion is further supported by his “Per 36” stats, which reveals the young center to be improving.

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