The Los Angeles Lakers shocked the world (and more importantly dedicated 76ers fans) Thursday when they selected D’Angelo Russell with the #3 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. For months we assumed the Wolves would take Karl-Anthony Towns (which they did) and the Lakers would take Jahlil Okafor (which they did not). Had those dominoes fallen correctly, the Sixers would have been able to add the sharp-shooting, playmaking point guard that they decided Michael-Carter Williams was not last February.
Now there’s certainly no guarantee that Russell becomes the superior player, but some say he would’ve done a better job than Okafor of filling the Sixers’ “team needs.” Admittedly, I would’ve preferred D’Angelo Russell over Jahlil Okafor, but guess what? I would’ve preferred Andrew Wiggins over Joell Embiid, as well. You can only get so upset that your team didn’t take a guy who was off the board.
With Towns and Russell gone, the Sixers decided to take the best player available (and there should be no dispute who the BPA was)… Again, some could say the 76ers should have taken a different approach and filled in their “team needs.” What do the Sixers need? Well do I have to state the obvious? Philadelphia has one player–Nerlens Noel. He can play either the 4 or the 5… so you need everything else.
Let’s be clear: the reason that a small but substantial segment of Sixers fans are upset with the draft really has nothing to do with Jahlil Okafor at all—they’re just upset that “the process,” like any process, takes time. They hoped after three Hinkie drafts, we’d have elite, first round talent at three positions, not three first round talents at the same position.
Going into this draft, many Sixers fans were previously upset with Hinkie’s love for all things injured and unready to contribute. During the 2013 Draft, the Sixers acquired Nerlens Noel, knowing that he would have to sit out an entire season. In 2014, Sixers fans hoped to turn their two lottery picks into players that could help them win immediately; instead they got Joell Embiid (who like Noel would have to sit an entire season) and Elfrid Payton (who was immediately shipped to Orlando in exchange for Dario Saric, who could play for the Sixers in 2016/17 at the earliest). Then on Thursday, Okafor was selected. And although he’s healthy (and will most likely be on the court before Embiid), the Sixers essentially have four players penciled in for the future, three centers and a power forward, two guys that will play and two guys that won’t. So where does everyone fit in?
Many 76ers fans acknowledge that there’s now a logjam of sorts at the center position. They assume that there’s no way that Noel, Okafor, and Embiid can play together. Now while that could be an issue in the future, let me really clear (and realistic, and brutally honest) about this… Joell Embiid doesn’t play. He doesn’t. I like the guy; a year later, still like the pick, but dude doesn’t play. He’s played the same amount of minutes as Andrew Bynum played with the Sixers, and his rehabilitation is going so slowly that he makes Jason Richardson look like A.C. Green. So while it’s true that our three best players all play the same position, one guy doesn’t play it. And as SI.com’s Chris Mannix acknowledges, there is a strong chance a trade could still happen, but in the mean time, Okafor and Noel could be quite effective playing together…
Okafor is the most appealing prospect on the board, and over the next few hours GM Sam Hinkie will be on the phone with half the GMs in the league who will try to pry Okafor out of Philadelphia. Still, if Joel Embiid’s most recent setback is real, Philadelphia would be wise to keep the talented center, whose skills would be a nice complement to defensive-minded forward Nerlens Noel.
Nonetheless, many Philadelphia fans remain unhappy with the Sixers’ selection… despite not having any better options. Let’s be serious, what else can the Sixers have done? Selected Prozingis? Mudiay? Move down in the lottery and tried to make a move on Winslow?
Like many other 76ers fans, I was very excited at the possibility of drafting either Russell of Emmanuel Mudiay and landing our “point guard of the future (keyword: future).” And if you’re anything like me and you’ve been defending “the process” for the last two years, then you know the future isn’t exactly around the corner–the Sixers have at least one more lackluster season ahead. So assuming the Sixers future starts in 2016/17, do we need a point guard on day one? In today’s NBA, is there an easier need to fill than point guard? Shit, we’re still two days away from the beginning of free agency and dudes like Eric Bledsoe and Ty Lawson are allegedly out there for the taking… Luke Ridnour’s been on four teams in less than a day, Rajon Rondo might not even have a job next year. Point guards are everywhere!! Conversely, there seems to currently be a high premium on big men that can score with their back-to-the-basket. Timofey Mozgov got traded for TWO first round picks last season?!? Demarcus Cousins might get swapped for a castle and a continent!!
Some people (including myself) were bummed the Sixers failed to move into the late lottery/ mid-first round and grab some of the talent that slipped, but let’s be realistic, A) would it be worth it? and B) was it possible? Let’s start with A. From picks #8-#18, the only two guys I’d want to bring into Philly would be Justise Winslow (#10) and Cameron Payne (#14). Winslow was such an absolute steal at #10 that the Celtics reportedly offered a deal that included SIX potential first rounders. Oddly, Charlotte said, “No bueno,” to the C’s and selected Frank Kaminsky in an effort to extend their legacy of mediocrity on and off the court. If Boston’s package wasn’t enough to obtain Winslow, I would hate to see what the Sixers would have to do to get him. Four picks later, Payne was also off the board. Again, I’m not sure the Sixers were willing to part with the assets required to move into the end of the lottery, and ultimately, I’m okay with that.
Let’s see what it would’ve taken to get into the back of the lottery. Now everyone in Philadelphia had a good laugh at the Celtics when they offered the Sixers Marcus Smart, the #16, and the #28 pick in exchange for Nerlens Noel and the #3 pick (I’m still baffled at that one…). The point of that story is not only to mock the C’s, but to give us an idea of how highly valued even mid-to-late first-rounders are nowadays. The earliest draftee involved in a trade was Kelly Oubre, Jr. (#15) who was swapped for the 19th pick and two future second round picks (which again, seems steep for Kelly Oubre). The bottom line is that no matter how enamored we can become with the idea of young talent, you have to consider the price. And from what we’ve seen from Sam Hinkie thus far, there’s no reason to believe that he would abandon “the process” solely to bring in Devin Booker or Terry Rozier.
I don’t know if it was the two first-round picks in 2013 and two more in 2014 or the pre-draft lottery notion that the 76ers could have up to three lottery selections, but it seems like many Sixers fans do not like the idea of only getting one lottery-worthy player out of a draft. Sorry. Imagine being a Knicks fan. Or a Nets fan. And although I’m sure D’Angelo Russell was going to be welcomed with open arms, it’s hard for me to imagine any selection OTHER than Okafor going over well with the fans at #3. Mudiay would’ve seemed like a stretch; Kristaps Prozingis seems a lot like Dario Saric; Did we really want Willie-Cauley Stein? Nah, son. So why did the Okafor pick get such a lukewarm reception?
Okafor is a 6’11”, 275-pound freshman center who does most of his offensive work in the post. By most accounts, he is BY FAR the most polished offensive player in the draft; it’s quite possible that Okafor can step in NEXT YEAR and average 16-20 PPG. Okafor’s eons ahead of most bigs his age; he’s strong and uses his weight efficiently, has numerous moves and counters, and is an outstanding passer out of double teams. He also has soft hands and runs the floor very well. However, despite his size, Okafor is a subpar defensive rebounder and a poor defender. He struggles defending pick and rolls and is not much of a rim protector.
I’m not too concerned with Okafor’s rim protecting. He’s a young dude (that I assume will become a moderately improved shot blocker) and he’s playing next to Noel who should make up for a lot of Jah’s deficiencies. More importantly though, dude is gonna be scoring! He’s coming in day one with an offense that looks to get him touches immediately. I don’t want to get to optimistic, but I think he’s going to be Rookie of the Year. And how exciting will it be to see a Sixers rookie score 16-20 PPG and not have to go 6 for 25 to make it happen (sorry, MCW… I’m still a fan).
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