Jahlil Okafor likely hasn't cracked a smile for the better part of the last season-and-a-half, seemingly permanently attached to the bench, as he fell out of favor with head coach Brett Brown and out of the Philadelphia 76ers rotation.
That immediately changed today, as the Chicago native has seen the sunshine, reportedly “extremely” happy with the trade, now able to pounce on a good opportunity to garner some minutes and be a part of a developing program, according to Chris Mannix of The Vertical.
The 6-foot-11 center was dealt to the Brooklyn Nets earlier today along with shooting guard Nik Stauskas and a second-round pick in exchange for power forward Trevor Booker.
Okafor will now have an opportunity to garner some minutes and eventually even start on Kenny Atkinson's system after proving himself throughout this season.
The Duke standout had only played 25 combined minutes through a mere two appearances in this young season, the odd man out of a center logjam behind centerpiece Joel Embiid.
If Okafor can resemble his rookie season, he can put up averages close to the 17.5 points and seven rebounds he posted during his first season in the league two seasons ago. Still 21 years of age, there's no reason to think the talent and ability aren't there to do so under the right program.
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