At the 2015 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers stunned the Philadelphia 76ers by selecting D'Angelo Russell with the second overall pick. As a result, the Sixers ultimately chose Jahlil Okafor ahead of Kristaps Porzingis. While Okafor earned All-Rookie First Team honors by averaging 17.5 points and 7.0 rebounds, he suffered a disappointing sophomore season.
In Okafor's second year, he only averaged 11.8 points and 4.8 rebounds in 50 appearances. With numerous frontcourt players, Okafor was constantly in trade rumors, but the Sixers ultimately moved Nerlens Noel to the Dallas Mavericks for Justin Anderson, Andrew Bogut, and a protected first round draft pick. Despite all the speculation, the third-year center could not be happier in Philadelphia according to Tom Moore of GateHouse Media:
#Sixers Jahlil Okafor on allowing himself to think about playing in another #NBA city pic.twitter.com/OOj8aNLYeW
— Tom Moore (@TomMoorePhilly) August 8, 2017
Heading into the 2017-18 NBA season, there appears to be better roster balance for head coach Brett Brown. At this time, Joel Embiid's backup will likely come down to Okafor or Richaun Holmes, who averaged 9.8 points and 5.5 rebounds in 57 appearances.
After all the constant rumors, it will be interesting to see if Okafor becomes a rotation player and can improve defensively. Although there have been numerous teams who have expressed interest in the former Duke product over the years, he provides insurance for Embiid, who has only appeared in 31 games through three seasons.
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