Philadelphia 76ers Would’ve Benefited From Okafor Summer League

Philadelphia 76ers big man Jahlil Okafor took to Twitter to assert that he wants to play in Philadelphia, but the question is whether the team needs him.

The decision for Jahlil Okafor on participating in a second consecutive Summer League for the Philadelphia 76ers seemed like a no-brainer, and that was not to play.

Okafor missed the last 23 games of the season with a knee injury that gave the Philadelphia 76ers more questions about the polarizing rookie. In the decision was also that he was selected to be on the USA Men’s Select Team. The Philadelphia 76ers will seemingly go into the start of the season holding both Okafor and Nerlens Noel, which could limit both of their abilities.

With the trade talks involving Okafor and Noel becoming a seemingly daily occurrence since the end of the 2015-16 season up until the 2016 NBA Draft, many questioned what kind of toll it would take on the talented young big men. With that, reports were coming out that Okafor no longer wants to play for the Philadelphia 76ers, and the championship Duke center took to Twitter.

Okafor settled the debate on whether he wanted to continue in this Philadelphia 76ers rebuild, but now the big man and his fans will be hoping the team feels the same way. The Noel-Okafor debate has dragged on all throughout the 2015-16 season, with people taking a side of the debate with strong passion.

This debate isn’t just fanfare, the team could very well still be deciding on which big man they could move for an appropriate return. Okafor not playing in Summer League only continues to muddle the whole scenario.

More from Philadelphia 76ers

• 3 Reasons the 76ers Should Poach Blake Griffin From the Celtics
• 3 Most Overpaid 76ers Heading Into the 2023 Season
• Ranking Daryl Morey’s 3 Biggest Mistakes with 76ers
• 3 Teams Crazy Enough to Trade for James Harden
• James Harden Putting Career in Jeopardy With Holdout Threat

It’s clear that Ben Simmons is the player the team is ready to crown as the team’s cornerstone player, and thus will look to complement his game. The popular narrative going around is that Nerlens Noel is the almost perfect fit next to Simmons while Okafor’s defensive struggles will only expose Simmons’ weaknesses.

This, of course, is an unknown as the Philadelphia 76ers have yet to see one the two big man paired up with Simmons in-game. Which is why Jahlil Okafor participating in Summer League would have handed the Philadelphia 76ers a much easier decision either way.

Although just Summer League, seeing how the offense would run with Simmons and Okafor on the court together could serve as a precursor to how the team would look to some degree in the regular season. Granted it would be a small sample size, but the two have polar opposite playing styles tempo-wise, so it may have been enough to see whether there were even roots of the two developing together or not.

If the Philadelphia 76ers saw a glimmer of hope of an Okafor and Simmons pairing, it may have been enough to save Okafor’s career with the franchise for some time. At the same time, the two could have been a disaster offensively together, maybe forcing the Philadelphia 76ers’ hands a bit into moving Okafor.

Simmons has performed well, and most notably with Richaun Holmes, which could be use to fuel the pro-Noel side of the debate even more since Holmes is more comparable to Noel than Okafor. Even forgetting about Simmons, Okafor would have benefited from the opportunity to polish his pick and pop game and defensive presence with some freedom in Summer League.

Next: Sam Hinkie In Vegas

Alas, Summer League is nearing an end and there’s no clear answer in sight on which of Jahlil Okafor or Nerlens Noel will be traded. The “fit” between Okafor and Simmons will have to wait for the preseason to see what damage the two could do together.