Philadelphia 76ers: The case for Jahlil Okafor over Amir Johnson

Brett Brown plays Amir Johnson over Jahlil Okafor when Joel Embiid is off the floor. Here’s why the Philadelphia 76ers should play Okafor instead.

Amir Johnson has averaged 3.7 points and three rebounds in the 13.7 minutes he averages per game. He has played in all three games so far, while Jahlil Okafor has only played in one, and he backed up Johnson in that game. He played 22 minutes and dropped 10 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and blocked an impressive two shots.

Jahlil Okafor went vegan for the benefit of the Philadelphia 76ers. The team invested a third-overall pick in him in 2015. He’s still just 21 years old and is a bull with a ballerina’s footwork in the post. Amir Johnson can shoot the three better, but Okafor is a dependable scorer and an improving defender who has shown much better touch when shooting from mid-range. The second unit needs some outside shooting, but Johnson’s career 33.9 percent shooting from deep doesn’t set him too far apart from the other mediocre shooters on the second unit, like Markelle Fultz, Dario Saric, and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot.

The NCAA Champion’s defensive effort has increased massively, and effort is half the battle on that end of the floor. His vegan diet has helped his mobility and it’s clear that he wants to be on the floor. His two blocks show that his effort has paid off, but his four fouls show that the old version of him has not totally gone.

Okafor’s nine rebounds in 22 minutes against the Raptors are impressive, especially considering he went up against players like Serge Ibaka, Jakob Poetl, and Jonas Valanciunas. Johnson started but played just 14 minutes, and Okafor outscored, outrebounded, and outblocked the man ahead of him in the depth chart. As usual, he scored with some ease and flair, which he did with this silky spin:

Obviously, 22 minutes of basketball is a small sample size, but Amir Johnson and his $11 million contract have been quite underwhelming in the young season. Johnson can’t score nearly as well as Okafor can, and if Okafor can keep up the rebounding rate he showed against the Raptors, then he will surpass the newly acquired veteran in that department, too. On Monday night against the Pistons, Okafor did not play while Johnson dropped just three points on 1-5 shooting and posted a -11 plus-minus but grabbed an impressive nine rebounds in the Sixers’ 97-86 win over Detroit.

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Brett Brown needs to reward Jahlil Okafor for the dedication he showed this offseason. He’s no longer a total defensive liability and he scores more efficiently than Johnson. The Sixers love to play fast, but Okafor can take the load off the top options in the second unit because he scores so easily. Dario Saric’s improving shot and Okafor’s newfound touch in the mid-range will allow the second unit bigs to spread the floor a little bit, assuming Okafor is freed by Brown.

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Okafor has done everything asked of him: he slimmed down, became a better defender, and improved his range. He’s clearly good enough for at least a bit-part role in the NBA, and Brown needs to let the third-year center show off his skills which will benefit the team.