Jahlil Okafor was deemed NBA-ready entering the association, but is the rookie ready to handle a losing environment in Philadelphia? Though the first 10 games of the season, the Philadelphia 76ers have yet to enter the win column and are the only team with zero wins to date on the season.
A theme that manifested last year in December was if losing consistently would change the way players operated in a Bizarro world of opportunity. While players like Nerlens Noel, Hollis Thompson and Tony Wroten endured a 19-63 campaign the previous year, they were once again mired in another wash of a season under head coach Brett Brown.
Noel sat out in 2013-14, but evidently looked bewildered and was a product of limited assistance around him. Currently, Okafor is in Nerlens’ not so fortuitous situation. Surpassing his counterparts in points per game (19.2), Player Efficiency Rating (15.8) and blocks (1.8), to name a few, he’s flipping the script on the start Nerlens had last year coming back from injury.
Despite the presence of Okafor on the block, the Sixers aren’t winning games, but the rookie from Duke is being a proactive player in trying to amplify his game.
"“The best thing I have heard in a while is going into the locker room after the game and having him to me and say, ‘I have to be a better defensive rebounder. I want to get help to be a better defensive rebounder,” Brown said from Sixers practice last Tuesday. “You just want to hug him right then and there on the spot.”"
Okafor has been more active on the boards since Nov. 3, hauling in just over 8.1 per game. Derek Bodner of Liberty Ballers articulated the surge in effort on the boards recently from the 6’11”, 270-pound interior savant.
The #sixers lose their tenth straight, but Okafor's all-around game is improving: https://t.co/rI5Cqt1yNs pic.twitter.com/bayiBoQuRD
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) November 15, 2015
In a distraught start for the organization, having a player as valuable as Okafor take the initiative of improving early is a low-key gift for Brown and Philadelphia. One year removed from playing for a historic powerhouse, he’s entered a scenario suiting up for a recent pushover in the Sixers.
The Duke product could have been overwhelmed and adamant in the losing environment early, especially after winning a national championship in college, but offering how he can mold himself into a more complete player should send off positive vibes
While the early struggles haven’t consumed Okafor’s confidence, they have presented challenges in the past for young Sixers.
Last year, former franchise point guard Michael Carter-Williams crafted an elaborate story on The Players’ Tribune, documenting his role in the scheme of a tanking ploy and how he dealt with the consistent losing.
"“Losing sucks,” said Carter-Williams. “I don’t care how much money you make or what stats you put up. If you’re competitive enough to make it to the NBA, losing is absolutely brutal. If it’s a night game, you get home around midnight and your mind is racing. It’s almost impossible to sleep.”"
Carter-Williams won just 31 out of 135 games as a Sixer, and was thrust into a role that was uncommon for a rookie point guard. Actively serving as the star player as a rookie on a team filled with expendable talent, MCW showed glimpses of outrage on the court. At times, he was evidently upset with calls when the Sixers were continuously catching up after falling behind in the contest.
No one can blame the now-Milwaukee Bucks point guard for expressing anger and distress over his situation. The Sixers better hope the currently mild Okafor doesn’t turn into Bizarro when the losing becomes too much to handle.
He hasn’t shown the propensity to lash out at an official or get mired in rage after a missed shot. Brett Brown has to rein in the big man so that type of behavior exists for a prolonged period of time if the Sixers want to get the most out of Okafor.
Next year could present a brighter outlook for the 76ers, with an abundance of incoming picks and possible players in highly skilled big men in Joel Embiid and Dario Saric. Getting through a rebuilding season for Okafor and co. is a struggle worth enduing. It’s a process with short-term futility that’s testing the young talent’s sanity and could be worth it in a year’s time.