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Philadelphia 76ers: Jahlil Okafor Flashes Potential In Debut

By Cody Daniel

Oct 6, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor (8) dribbles asWashington Wizards center Marcin Gortat (13) defends during the first quarter at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 6, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor (8) dribbles asWashington Wizards center Marcin Gortat (13) defends during the first quarter at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Basketball is finally back in The City of Brotherly Love and for the first time since 2011; the Philadelphia 76ers earliest draft selection – Jahlil Okafor – saw court action from day one, as opposed to nursing an injury or being traded.

And although it came on a night in which Philly struggled to find points while the Washington Wizards coasted to a 129-95 victory, Okafor’s debut sparked flashes of optimism about how immediate his impact may be as a rookie.

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Despite it only being preseason action, it’s always encouraging when a rookie bolts out of the gates, hitting his first five shots, just as Okafor did Tuesday night.

By asserting himself early and boasting a confidence unusual of a debut effort, Okafor’s first for shots didn’t come by way of paint manipulation, as so many grew accustomed to at Duke, but by raining in one tough contested jumper after another.

It’s no secret that Okafor is more than capable of displaying his soft touch from mid-range after his summer league outings, but Okafor now cultivating a mid-range jump shot into his offensive repertoire certainly speaks to his polish as a scorer since exiting Duke.

If nothing else, Okafor’s debut made it clear that Philly finally has a go-to option when he’s in the game, especially in half court settings. As Nerlens Noel put it, “offense flows,” when Okafor is active.

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At the half, Okafor led Philly in scoring with 12 points – which led the team – in addition to two rebounds, a steal and a team-leading two blocks, which he compiled with great body position and simply standing straight up.

And worth noting is that Okafor did all this in only 17:02 of game time, leaving Okafor on the sidelines as a spectator more than all but three Sixers – Richaun Holmes, J.P. Tokoto and Christian Wood.

But for as much as there is to praise Okafor about following his NBA debut, there’s just as much to critique and highlight aspects of Okafor’s game needing improvement.

The most notable underachievement was Okafor’s inability to stay out of foul trouble. Of course, it’s only preseason and he will almost surely improve with time, but four fouls in just over 17 minutes of action isn’t a good sign for the Sixers, especially considering he’s arguably already their best offensive weapon.

Additionally, but not a cause for concern at this point, was Okafor looking a bit gassed at times and struggling to establish and low-post success against Marcin Gortat and Nene.

Obviously, the conditioning will improve as Okafor acquaints himself with the NBA and speed of the game and there are very few post presences that would find much success down low against Gortat and Nene, much less a 19-year-old rookie.

Oct 6, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor (8) runs down the court next to Washington Wizards center Marcin Gortat (13) during the second quarter at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 6, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor (8) runs down the court next to Washington Wizards center Marcin Gortat (13) during the second quarter at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /

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    • Also worth pointing out is Okafor’s three turnovers, although, there all looked to be turnovers that can be corrected with game film and repetition. For example, consider Okafor’s turnover on a premature handoff to Isaiah Canaan.

    http://www.nba.com/video/games/wizards/2015/10/06/0011500011-phi-was-play5.nba/

    For the most part, Okafor played tremendously well in his debut. In total, he played less than a full quarter and a half of the game and still managed to stand out as one of the most impactful Sixers last night, making it hard to not get excited about how special this young man can be in Philly.

    And on the other hand, his errors seemed to all be adjustable mistakes that will improve with practice and time.

    All-Stars, MVPs and Hall-of-Famers aren’t made in a single day.

    Next: 25 Best Players to Play for the Philadelphia 76ers

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