Report: Jahlil Okafor is out of the Philadelphia 76ers center rotation
After failing to appear in four of the Philadelphia 76ers’ first five games, Brett Brown has confirmed that Okafor is out of the team’s center rotation. But why?
A lot has been written about how Jahlil Okafor is not a fit for the current Philadelphia 76es‘ roster, and that he should without a doubt be traded from the team, but at this point, you kind of have to feel sorry for the young big man.
After being selected third overall in the 2015 NBA Draft, Okafor has never really meshed with the team’s playing style, or the city’s vocal, passionate fanbase. And while Joel Embiid has established himself as one of the NBA’s best young players, the former Duke Blue Devil has struggled to find consistent playing time in Brett Brown‘s up-tempo offense, and according to recent reports, this trend will continue for the foreseeable future.
When he was asked about Okafor’s position on the team going forward, Coach Brown verbally confirmed that he is, in fact, out of the team’s center rotation and with Richaun Holmes returning in the very near future, this trend likely won’t change anytime soon.
This is obviously a huge blow for the young center, who clearly only wants to be given an opportunity to showcase his talents moving forward. And it’s not like he’s just spent the offseason resting on his laurels. Okafor committed himself to a mostly vegan diet during the offseason in an attempt to lose some weight, and in his first and only appearance of the season, he actually looked much improved.
Against the Toronto Raptors, Okafor recorded a respectable 10 points and nine rebounds in only 22 minutes of action. While these numbers are far from worldbeating, they do show that Okafor was active on the defensive side of the ball, and may have some two-way potential after all.
And how was Okafor rewarded for his efforts? By having to sit on the bench for the next two game. Honestly, it’s no wonder his people have reportedly asked for a trade.
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And while I’m sure the 76ers would love to trade Okafor, especially for an outside shooter, it’s going to be hard to find a team who’s willing to give up just compensation for a player who literally never plays.
I mean seriously, is there a team in the league who would give up a young shooter, or a lottery pick for a player who can’t even break a 1-4 team’s center rotation?
Last season, the team reportedly had an offer on the table from the New Orleans Pelicans for a heavily protected, none-lottery first-round pick and Tyreke Evans‘ expiring contract, but declined it because they didn’t want to sell Okafor for pennies on the dollar. But in a cruel twist of fate, I doubt the team would even receive an offer that good for their fourth-string center.
During the NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers traded D’Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov to the Brooklyn Nets for Brook Lopez and the 27th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. While this was also a sell low deal, the Lakers did receive two quality pieces, Lopez and the pick that was used to select Kyle Kuzma, for the former number two overall pick, but unlike Okafor, Russell had already established himself as a starting caliber player in the NBA before the trade took place.
While there’s still some interest in Okafor’s services in the league, with teams like the Lakers, Pacers, Celtics, and Bulls having expressed interest over the last year, it’s unlikely that any of these team will offer more than a late pick and/or a marginal rotation piece for the 21-year old center at this point.
If the 76ers want to increase Okafor’s trade value, he will need to play plain and simple.
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Okafor won’t be able to increase his trade value from the bench, so unless the 76ers’ are willing to take on another team’s free agent misfire like the Nets did with Allen Crabbe, Bryan Colangelo will surely be disappointed with the return the team receives for their 21-year old center.