Jahlil Okafor's Rookie Season Produced More Questions Than Answers

This article appears in its entirety on The Sixer Sense.
--

Jahlil Okafor’s rookie season is in the books, and his inaugural campaign with the Philadelphia 76ers was one that can be classified cleanly as ‘up-and-down.’ It was at times turbulent – beginning with off-court issues, ending with injury issues, and filled with plenty of speculation in-between – but there was also a lot of good individual ball, production, and promising play.

Still though, despite Okafor’s innate ability to put the ball in the basket, you can’t help but feel a sense of uncertainty surrounding his future in Philly. Whereas the addition of a top lottery talent typically serves as a solution of sorts to a team’s issues, in this situation, the presence of Okafor on the Sixers’ roster has produced more questions than it has provided answers. Some of this uncertainty is due directly to Okafor’s style of play, while some can be attributed to how the Sixers are currently constructed.

Okafor has a very specific skill set, reminiscent of a 90s-era back-to-the-basket big.  He has a polished post game, and an uncanny ability to produce from the paint, especially for his age. However, like his predecessors in this vein, he typically needs time and space to produce, often at the expense of the rest of the offense. A survey of the league’s landscape reveals that that the premier teams – Warriors, Spurs – place a premium on ball movement, and motion in general. Their key cogs don’t require isolations and a chunk of the shot clock to be productive, but can get theirs within the flow of the offense.

In a league where an increasing emphasis is placed on length, versatility, and athleticism, traditional half-court, feed-the-post play is not the most effective script to success. In six seasons, the Kings have had little success building around DeMarcus Cousins – though they have had their fair share of organizational issues – and the Grizzlies, as a team that has long relied largely on post production from Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph, have plateaued. Similarly, Al Jefferson, a focal point of the Hornets’ offense for the last couple season, has had to accept a reduced role as Charlotte has added shooters and migrated to a pace-and-space based team.

The ability of an organization to successfully build around Okafor’s particular skillset is the biggest uncertainty surrounding him after a single season. His talent, especially on the offensive end is undeniable, but the capacity for a team to thrive in the NBA’s current climate with Okafor as a focal point, or a major part, is not known.

Okafor’s fit with the Sixers’ other recent lottery selections is also a lingering question, as it has been since his selection in the ’15 Draft. Okafor and Noel were an odd-couple on paper, and a season’s worth of collaboration didn’t work to ease any concerns about future fit. Both are natural centers, with skillsets tailored to that background, and that became evident early in the season, as Noel struggled to find his footing at the four spot. Prior to his injury issues, Brett Brown shifted Okafor to the power forward spot, but the results were inconclusive, at best. 

Add in a [hopefully healthy] Joel Embiid, and the frountcourt situation becomes cloudier. A trade involving at least one of the three big men seems inevitable. Noel’s potential to develop into an elite defensive anchor, and Embiid’s lack of market value due to his own injury issues make it seem unlikely that either will be moved in the short-term. Okafor, on the other hand, would likely generate the largest return on the market at this point should the Sixers opt to make a move leading up to the draft, or over the summer.

The most imminent question regarding Okafor then, is if he will be a Sixer next season. It seems like a strange question to ask about a 20-year old with a near 18- point per game average, but the Sixers’ current construction and the emerging style of play league-wide in contrast to Okafor’s specific skillset make it a valid one. Okafor had a statistically solid rookie season, but rather than serving as a clear [long-term] solution, his presence on the Sixers’ roster has created more questions.