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It has become no secret over the last several months that the Philadelphia 76ers are intently looking to move on from big man Jahlil Okafor if the right deal presents itself to the organization.
In the meantime, head coach Brett Brown has made it clear that Okafor will receive an opportunity to play a significant role with the 76ers until a trade happens, according to Keith Pompey of The Inquirer.
Article Continues Below“I am excited to coach him until somebody tells me that I’m not,” Brown said.
Okafor will get “every opportunity to earn playing time,” Brown said. Right now, Okafor is competing with Richaun Holmes and free-agent signee Amir Johnson for the backup center position.
Philadelphia hasn't been shy about discussing their future plans with Okafor, and that doesn't appear to be affecting their game plan moving forward. In fact, the decision to play him more could lead to the 21-year-old raising his trade value behind his play on the floor.
The former 2015 third overall pick experienced a noticeable decline in production last season averaging 11.8 points and 4.8 rebounds in 50 games played with 33 starts before he was shut down in late March due to soreness in his right knee.
Although Okafor has had notable struggles defensively in his first two seasons, he has shown to be a more than capable scorer on the end of the floor. It appears that it may just be a matter of time before he has a new home in the NBA.
