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Ranking the Sixers: No. 13, Jahlil Okafor

By Rusty Gorelick

AUBURN HILLS, MI - DECEMBER 11: Jahlil Okafor #8 of the Philadelphia 76ers shoots a free throw during the game against the Detroit Pistons on December 11, 2016 at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images)
AUBURN HILLS, MI - DECEMBER 11: Jahlil Okafor #8 of the Philadelphia 76ers shoots a free throw during the game against the Detroit Pistons on December 11, 2016 at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Okafor was a solid first option on offense in his rookie year. Unfortunately, he met the low expectations Philadelphia 76ers fans set for his second year.

As a brief reminder of how this works, we here at TSS averaged rankings from 14 different staff members in order to get a composite list of the Philadelphia 76ers‘ best players, from No. 1 through No. 16.

Next is Jahlil Okafor, who comes in at No. 13.

In his rookie season, Okafor averaged 17.5 points, seven rebounds, and 1.2 blocks while playing 30 minutes per game in 53 games. This past season, the 2015 Philadelphia 76ers first round pick averaged 11.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and one block in 22.7 minutes per game.

That doesn’t seem like too big of a decrease for someone who was behind Joel Embiid in terms of playing time, but as anyone who watched a Sixers game last year would know, Okafor sat out a lot of games due to coach’s decisions. Part of it was due to the frontcourt depth, as Embiid, Nerlens Noel, and Richaun Holmes were all getting time at the five, but Okafor was out of shape for a lot of the season.

Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers /

Philadelphia 76ers

The main reasons he is ranked so low on the list are his defensive deficiencies, his lack of effort, his inability to read defenses, and his lack of athleticism. Obviously, those are major components of basketball and one offseason won’t fix all of them, but Jah does seem committed to the cause. His uninspired play has done him no favors during his fall from grace over the past year, even though the franchise drafted him into a less than ideal situation.

That’s still not an excuse for the former third overall pick to be performing so poorly. He seemed to be feeling entitled to a starting spot after being the top option in his rookie year, but at least he never spoke out publicly against Brett Brown amidst his string of DNPs for a coach’s decision. He needs to transform his body, and if he can gain endurance and be more aggressive defensively, he could be a totally different player than he was in his first two seasons.

Unfortunately, we aren’t playing MyCareer on NBA 2K with Jah, so fans should not expect him to have made that much progress over the summer. Still, he has managed to make improvements, according to reports.

Now that he’s going vegan and is under 260 pounds, Okafor looks ready to improve on last year’s series of unfortunate events. Admittedly, Sam Hinkie brought him into a bad situation and the 76ers ownership forced him out before he could trade the NCAA Championship-winning center, but Bryan Colangelo should have seen this logjam coming.

How can he get on the floor?

If Okafor can use this poor situation as motivation and improves his weaknesses, he could certainly force his way back into the rotation. He’s extraordinarily tough to guard in the paint, and he can move like a ballerina in a one-on-one situation on the low blocks.

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If he can add an inch or two to his vertical leap since he’s lighter and can improve his effort and endurance, then he could no longer be the odd man out in the rotation. He also needs to learn how to pass out of a double team. If he’s on the floor with defensive players like Holmes, Justin Anderson, and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot who aren’t as big offensive threats as Okafor is, opponents will always throw to men at him. If he gets rid of his tunnel vision tendency, then he could be a dangerous playmaker from the post. He probably won’t rise to Nikola Jokic echelons of post playmaking in a season, but that’s who he should strive to be similar to over the next few seasons.

Okafor has too many glaring weaknesses to be a starter for the Sixers, who are ready to make waves in the Eastern Conference this season. His offensive game is almost too good to ignore, though, and Brett Brown should look to him off the bench for 10 or 15 minutes per night since no second-string big man will be able to guard him.

If he is still the same defender as he was last season, Brown will need to surround him with defensive specialists. Playing him with Holmes is not ideal offensively because the two do most of their work within 10 feet of the basket. Unless Jah has transformed himself defensively and is now as good as Holmes is on that end, Brown cannot risk playing him with Dario Saric.

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Okafor is a huge weapon when it comes to scoring, but as Sixers fans have learned by watching him play, there is much more to basketball than scoring. He has the ability offensively to make Amir Johnson’s one-year deal totally unnecessary if he has put in the work to modernize his game. Expect him to sink lower on the list if he hasn’t adjusted to the speed of the NBA for the upcoming season.