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76ers’ Okafor Will Have To Dominate To Validate Rookie Of The Year Buzz

By Jake Hyman

Oct 18, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor (8) drives the ball to the basket against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 18, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor (8) drives the ball to the basket against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Realization hasn’t quite set in for rookie center Jahlil Okafor that the Philadelphia 76ers won’t be fighting for a playoff berth this year in his first non-winning environment. He doesn’t care; his goal is to dominate.

Playing for championships at both Whitney Young Magnet High School and Duke University, dominance is something Okafor is accustomed to. Progression has come first for his teammates in Nerlens Noel, Robert Covington, and Jerami Grant last season, as wins became a byproduct of incremental growth for the team.

Noel, last season, finished on the All-Rookie First Team. Two years ago, they let Michael Carter-Williams have the reigns of the organization and run away with the Rookie of the Year award.

ALSO ON HOOPSHABIT: 25 Best Players To Play For The 76ers

Recent history has been kind to the Sixers regarding rookie play from first-round picks, but arguably possessing the most talented NBA frosh out of the three, Okafor’s chances to take home hardware look to be favorable.

The graph below illustrates the numbers recent Rookie of the Year winners put up in their respective seasons to get a baseline for what’s necessary.

Offensive stats evidently play well into the decision, and luckily for the 6-foot-11, 270-pound Okafor, it’s an area he’s proficient in. Every winner above put up more than 16.0 points, three rebounds, and two assists per game while being a source of bonafide production for their rebuilding team.

Okafor will look to become the first Rookie of the Year since his distant cousin, Emeka Okafor, won the award in 2005. General managers think the task isn’t a tall order when polled to predict the winner. Taking home 44.8 percent of the vote, smart NBA personnel seemed to have locked in on the preseason favorite for the award.

https://twitter.com/JahlilOkafor/status/656643391300726785

Extensive opportunity and immediate offensive impact are variables that tie into the belief that Okafor will be the Sixers second Rookie of the Year in three years. The Duke product hasn’t dominated in preseason, averaging only 10.4 points and 4.4 rebounds to go along with 38.5 percent shooting from the floor.

Known as an erratic free throw shooter, he did, however, sink 8-of-9 in the five games he played.

Unable to win with just girth, as he showcased in his lone season at Duke, Okafor’s craftiness will have to be featured if he is to be a low-post mismatch nightmare.

In a system like Philadelphia, who rarely ran their offense through post play, “Jah” can flip the script, explains Grantland’s Ben Detrick:

"“Last season, dumping the rock into the post was not part of the program. The Sixers were 29th in the NBA in post-up attempts (only Atlanta tried fewer) and last in points per possession by an embarrassing margin.”"

Detrick goes on to acknowledge the inefficiencies from the aforementioned area from new backcourt mate Noel, Henry Sims, and Luc Mbah a Moute with the latter two not being retained. Okafor undoubtedly brings a fresh assortment of offense needed on an offensively porous team.

General Manager Sam Hinkie drafted the 19-year-old not for the acknowledgement of selecting the best overall player with the No. 3 pick, but giving head coach Brett Brown an offensive catalyst to mold and develop into a rock at the center position for the next decade.

Settled in at the 5, it’s easy to project Okafor to be a high-usage talent with offense flowing from the inside-out to set up shooters. Teaming with an offensive project in Noel, it will be a storyline conjured up from their effectiveness as a duo.

Okafor hasn’t been the source of the Sixers defensive struggles in the preseason, but is still raw in the area regarding rotations and lacking lateral quickness. For the Rookie of the Year race, defensive statistics aren’t regarded in high status compared to offensive categories, but the Sixers would like Okafor to dominate on both sides of the ball.

He’s evidently primed to do it, but putting in the work defensively will allow the rookie to dominate for a longer period of time than just his inaugural season.

Next: NBA: Top 10 Candidates For 2015-16 Rookie Of The Year

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