The 2016-2017 NBA season is over for the Philadelphia 76ers. This off-season, the team will need to decide the future of Jahlil Okafor. To help, we’ve come up with ten NBA teams which could benefit from his play
The never ending saga of Philadelphia 76ers sophomore center Jahlil Okafor is complexity upon complexity. The efforts of former executive Sam Hinkie never cease to be linked to some “master plan”. Whether it was trading salary space for draft picks, loading up the roster with undrafted, second round, or injured players, the ultimate objective was always apparent.
Patiently building a winner.
But the fit of center Jahlil Okafor into that master plan derails. Similar to the trajectory of point guard Michael Carter Williams, Jahlil Okafor ran hot in his rookie season. But his sophomore production cooled quite a bit. And through that second year, he had to face an unending stream of trade rumors that clouded his future so obscurely that the team literally pulled him from playing pending the final resolution to trade him.
That trade never happened.
Why? Why? Why?
Some theories suggest the team kept Okafor as insurance over the injured Joel Embiid. Another theory was that the trade of Jahlil Okafor would define Bryan Colangelo’s legacy. In short, his only options are to surrender more value than he gets in return.
But the team traded center Nerlens Noel. And as expected, Noel is delivering right on queue. He is leading the Mavericks in blocked shots, one of the teams top rebounders, and he is in the top five in steals as well.
The same outcome is awaiting Jahlil Okafor. He will likely never turn in a triple double. But on the right team, he could lead the offense. So which of the remaining 29 team should consider him this offseason? We have identified ten.