Philadelphia 76ers: Jahlil Okafor could turn it around this season

 With the NBA regular season just one month away, Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor looks ready to get his career back on track.

Of all the first round picks from the “Process” era for the Philadelphia 76ers, Jahlil Okafor may have had the rockiest first two season. Obviously, Joel Embiid didn’t even play in his first two seasons, but Okafor has had a drastic fall from grace. He went from a solid, promising rookie to an injured, slumping sophomore rather quickly. It left fans wondering if he could even hang in today’s NBA.

Now, I will admit that Okafor gets a ton of criticism from this fan base. On the court, fans seem to undermine the third-year center’s ability. Fans feel as though he doesn’t do enough to warrant a spot on the team. The fan base is truly split here. You have your PROkafors and your NOkafors. Choose wisely.

As for me, I’d like to consider myself a PROkafor in the sense that I want him to do well. After the sophomore season that Jah had, you can only want the best for him. Last season, Okafor averaged 11.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks in 50 games. Now, those numbers don’t jump off the page by any means. If anything, they tell me that Okafor was not there mentally or physically.

Injury Woes

In all fairness, Okafor dealt with knee issues for the majority of the past two seasons. He could never consistently stay on the floor. As a result, he never got into game ready shape. Ultimately, that hurt his game more than anything.

Offensively, Jah works best in the post. It’s just how he rolls. In order to excel in this area, you have to have a sense of craftiness and agility. Simply put, you need to be able to both overpower and outsmart your opponent. If you’re not in the best possible shape, you won’t be able to operate as well as you should.

Defensively, yeah Jah still needs work. We all know he seems absent-minded at times. Maybe the injury and a lack of game-readiness had something to do with it. I don’t know. But, given the fact that he somehow averaged a block per game give me hope.

New Philosophy

Interestingly enough, Jahlil Okafor has been putting in the work this offseason. He switched to an entirely vegan diet. This, along with weight training (among other things), will hopefully help Okafor adjust to the pro-style of play. For Jah, it may be now or never in terms of making his mark in the NBA.

Obviously, Okafor’s spot in the rotation is still unclear. We don’t know whether Okafor will play the five or the four. Clearly, he should play center due to his style of play, but you never know. With the meteoric rise of Richaun Holmes, along with the acquisition of Amir Johnson, the backup center spot is fairly crowded. Holmes will likely earn the second-string spot because of his multi-dimensional style of play. Regardless, Okafor can still find playing time.

In terms of traditional centers, plenty of guys still play that way in the NBA. Guys like Enes Kanter, Zach Randolph, and Robin Lopez excel this way. They don’t have an outside shot or anything like that but can take the ball inside well. Okafor has some killer post moves, and can still contribute at the pro level.

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So, while Jahlil Okafor may have a long way to go, he can still contribute for the Philadelphia 76ers. As long as he stays true to his style offensively, he may find a consistent role off the bench. Defensively, he just needs to put in more work. Ideally, Philadelphia needs him to turn it around, as it could work out as a trade asset or even a permanent spot on the roster. Hopefully, Okafor can figure it out.