Philadelphia 76ers: How has Jahlil Okafor fared in Brooklyn?

It’s been three months since the Philadelphia 76ers traded Jahlil Okafor to the Nets, but has the troubled center finally put it all together in Brooklyn?

Of all the players to suit up for the Philadelphia 76ers during “The Process”-era none was less popular in South Philly than Jahlil Okafor, and frankly, it’s a bit unfortunate.

Sure, in hindsight selecting Okafor third overall over now established starters like Devin Booker, Kristaps Porzingis, and Justise Winslow was an obvious misstep, but at the time, the Duke center was considered the best player left on the board by many highly-qualified talent evaluators.

Before you forgo the rest of this article and head straight to the comments section, you have to remember that back in 2015 Joel Embiid had never played a game in the NBA and then-starting center Nerlens Noel was hardly a threat to score in the paint. With Sam Hinkie obviously infatuated with the idea of drafting an All-Star caliber center to anchor Brett Brown‘s offense for years to come, and neither player on the roster a sure-fire star, Okafor’s ability to score at will made him a primed candidate to fill said role.

But unfortunately, the pairing seemed almost doomed from the start.

After arriving in South Philly overweight and out of shape, the 20-year old center had an up-and-down rookie season, averaging a solid 17.5 points in 30 minutes of action a night before missing the final 23 games of the season with a torn meniscus.

And unfortunately for Okafor, the Sixers backcourt got a whole lot more crowded in his second season with the team. While still recovering from his knee injury, Okafor had a front row seat to the emergence of Embiid as one of the league’s brightest young stars, and the quickly saw the writing on the wall.

With no clear role in 2017 after the addition of Amir Johnson, Okafor successfully lobbied his way out of South Philly, in hopes of finally getting to make a team his own, but has he? Let’s examine how Okafor has faired as a member of the Brooklyn Nets, and see if he’s finally living up talent evaluators lofty expectations.

(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

New team, same Ok

After averaging only five points in 12.5 minutes per game in his pair of appearances as a Philadelphia 76ers in 2017, Okafor has put up remarkably similar numbers as a member of the Brooklyn Nets.

Locked in as the team’s third-string center behind rookie big man Jarrett Allen and 6-foot-7 journeyman Quincy Acy, Okafor has appeared in 25 games for Brooklyn, but even with 330 minutes of action with his new team, he’s still struggled to regain his rookie form. Now averaging just six points in 12 minutes of action a night, Okafor has still struggled to find consistent playing time due to his lackadaisical defense and inability to score the ball outside the paint, recording 24 DNP’s in 49 games.

And in one of his better games of the season, interestingly enough against his former team, Okafor once again took the back seat to Joel Embiid at the Wells Fargo Center, trailing the Cameroonian big man in every category in the March 11th contest.

After not having his fifth-year option picked up prior to his exit from town, Okafor will be an unrestricted free agent when Brooklyn’s season comes to an end on April 11th and unless something changes soon, it seems incredibly unlikely that he’ll be back in the Big Apple next season.

Next: Grading the Sixers mid-season acquisitions

While I’m sure some team will sign the struggling big man to a prove it deal come free agency, with ‘old school’ teams like the Chicago Bulls and the San Antonio Spurs seeming like logical landing spots, it just seems as though Okafor and his throwback style are no longer valued in the NBA. With teams like the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors priding themselves playing fast, giving substantial minutes to a halfcourt player like Okafor becomes a liability when his shot isn’t dropping.