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Philadelphia 76ers: Jahlil Okafor Enigma May Be Unsolvable

By Bret Stuter

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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Feb 10, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie prior to a game against the Sacramento Kings at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 10, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie prior to a game against the Sacramento Kings at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

Step one:  Get Jahlil Okafor 100 percent healthy

Let’s not fool ourselves. There has been plenty of interest in Jahlil Okafor so far, perhaps more than we realize. Teams have gotten very close to pulling the trigger for the young NBA center.

So what has been the problem?

Well, in February 2017 Keith Pompey of Philly .com suggests much of the trade difficulty centered around questions about Jahlil Okafor’s sore knee. And despite the fact that he had plenty of recovery time from the prior year injury, the statistics sheet suggests that Okafor hit a sophomore slump in the NBA.  Liberty Ballers’ Kyle Neubeck asked what the 76ers’ were not sharing about Okafor’s knee in October 2016.

Knee Needs Clean Bill Of Health

Pompey again touched on the issue in March 2017, reiterating knee soreness as a contributing factor to limiting Okafor’s playing time.  In fact, the Philadelphia 76ers shut down the center for the second consecutive season.  It was not until Derek Bodner summarized the season-that-almost-wasn’t for Jahlil okafor due to prolonged knee soreness that we began to get a more focused picture. He never healed properly over a year later.

Now, health must be dealt with directly.  In fact, the team must come clean. Only when the knee can function without soreness can the team do anything.