Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor Remains Blue Chip Center

Dec 23, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor (8) and head coach Brett Brown against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Suns defeated the 76ers 123-116. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 23, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor (8) and head coach Brett Brown against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Suns defeated the 76ers 123-116. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
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Despite Philadelphia 76ers Jahlil Okafor‘s viral video defensive lapse, there is still huge upside in his early career. He remains a blue chip NBA center.

Philadelphia 76ers Jahlil Okafor has to be asking himself why? Why did the Philadelphia 76ers draft him when the team had two talented NBA centers?  Even moreso, why was he asked to carry the load for the team’s offensive at the tender age of 19? Again, why did he struggle to make the right decisions early in his NBA Career?

And why did his knee get injured just as he and teammate Nerlens Noel finally find some semblance of compatibility? Beyond that, why did the Philadelphia 76ers wait until Christmas 2015 to trade for point guard Ish Smith?

No Way No Trade… Wait? What?

And finally, why didn’t the Philadelphia 76ers trade him for whatever the team could get at the NBA Trade Deadline? . Will the Philadelphia 76ers ever cheer for Jahlil Okafor again?

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I was once a young man, faced with equally significant “Why?” questions about events in my own life. Questions that resisted any logical answer short of “the Cosmos have aligned against me!”.
But I asked the wrong question.