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Philadelphia 76ers’ Jahlil Okafor is Top Rookie, According to Draft Peers

By Jake Hyman

Jul 14, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor (8) holds the ball away from New York Knicks forward Alex Kirk (53) during an NBA Summer League game at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 14, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor (8) holds the ball away from New York Knicks forward Alex Kirk (53) during an NBA Summer League game at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jahlil Okafor is a popular player among his rookie class. Among 36 rookies polled, Okafor is the favorite for the Rookie of the Year and the most likely to have the best career in the 2015 NBA Draft class. Per nba.com’s John Schuhmann, The Philadelphia 76ers‘ center received 41.9 percent of votes to be projected as the second Sixer to win the ROY award in the past three years.

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Okafor also is the front-runner on many sites dealing with bets and predictions. His dominance of both the Utah and Vegas Summer League’s (15.8 PPG and 8.4 RPG), as well as an NBA-ready offensive repertoire, tie into his believability as a top candidate for the award.

The belief of his draft peers that he’ll be a better NBA player than No. 1 pick Karl-Anthony Towns and No. 2 pick D’Angelo Russell has to brighten an otherwise gloomy Philadelphia day here in the 215 area for fans and management.

If the mix of first-year prominence translates into a career filled with accolades for Okafor, then a bunch of teenagers will turn out to be psychics. GM Sam Hinkie, head coach Brett Brown, management and fans would love for the prediction to transpire and come to fruition.

It’s a symbolic glimmer of hope after the recent Joel Embiid foot surgery that will put the 7-2 big man on the shelf once again. Okafor, after the surgery was announced a couple of weeks ago, gave his condolences but articulated his status with the team and his mindset in an interview with Basketball Insiders’ Alex Kennedy:

"“I knew about it before [it was announced]; we talked about it a few weeks ago,” Okafor said of Embiid’s injury. “It’s unfortunate, but I’m here for him. I know he’s definitely disappointed. I’m just going to be there for him and play for him as well. It doesn’t [change my role]. My role is to dominate. I’m one of the centerpieces of this team, so my role is the same.”"

The fervor to make an early impact ties into Okafor’s bid for hardware after his rookie season. Philadelphia will give the Duke product burn similar to what he experienced in college. Minutes will not be hard to find as the focal point of the Sixers offense in his rookie season. He has faith that he’ll dominate and so does his peers.

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