Jahlil Okafor, not Embiid, is 76ers Biggest Factor to Their ‘Process’

Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor is the main piece to the turnaround.

Jahlil Okafor’s recent actions have cast a jet black shadow over the Philadelphia 76ers organization. Okafor, just last week, was viewed as a promising rookie playing for the NBA’s proverbial laughingstock. He flashed a propensity to make jump shots, was playing more active defense than his time at Duke and wasn’t letting the Sixers continuous losing deter his confidence on the court. Fans only saw what the 6-11, 270-pound center was capable of doing on the court. Off the court, Okafor was operating on a completely different plane.

He dominated headlines last week, but for all the wrong reasons. Media outlet TMZ captured Okafor, following the team’s 84-80 loss Wednesday against the Boston Celtics, in a street fight with an individual heckling him outside Storyville Boston nightclub. The initial instance raised concerns about his ability to handle the depressing state of the Philadelphia 76ers, but that wasn’t the first illegal action Okafor has committed since joining the organization.

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Keith Pompey, of The Philadelphia Inquirer, reported that Delaware Police Authority e-mailed a statement to The Inquirer stating that Okafor received two citations for driving 108 mph on the Ben Franklin Bridge connecting Pennsylvania to New Jersey on Oct. 19. The Ben Franklin Bridge is only 9,573 feet in length crossing over the Delaware River.

Okafor, risking civilians lives like a Grand Theft Auto stunt, wasn’t even going through a tumultuous losing streak at the time. He was solely enjoying his time in Philadelphia as the team’s new prized possession.

He also had a gun pointed at him on Oct. 4 in Philadelphia, according to Pompey. Bringing a fake ID becomes a lot less alarming when taking the three aforementioned events surrounding Okafor into account.

What’s particularly troubling is his shift in actions from weeks after he was drafted up until the start of the season. The 19-year-old was taking pictures with fans and trying to get acclimated with the city in July. What changed for a player who didn’t have the same off-court issues while at Duke?

One factor is obvious; Okafor has never been in an environment where losing reigns. While the past few seasons haven’t corrupted the holdovers abilities or mindset, it must be painful for guys like Hollis Thompson and Nerlens Noel to only be a part of 37 wins in 192 games. Noel was absent from the team’s struggles in 2013-14, but was an 82-game spectator on the sideline for Brett Brown’s group.

The term “losing mindset” was brought up last year and has trickled down into the current state of the Sixers, but Okafor’s dilemma stems from a thought process away from the game of basketball. He has acknowledged that losing was getting to him and maybe caused the recent events to transpire.

Okafor, per Pompey, said that the team is staying together and working extremely hard, but keeps coming up close in games. The losing does get to him at times:

"“So it does get a little frustrating to hear it all the time that we are 0-and-whatever. So it’s definitely frustrating.”"

His actions off the court aren’t hindering the team’s effectiveness in games, but are a bright red flag surrounding the organization.

Okafor has been the Sixers most productive player this season when delving into his base and advanced stats. Among high usage rotational players, “Big Jah” is first in points per game (17.5), rebounds per game (8.2) and Player Efficiency Rating (14.9). He has taken the role of the Sixers foundational big man whether Nerlens Noel accepts it or not. However, the Sixers have another frontcourt behemoth cohesively donning that title.

It’s so easy to forget about Joel Embiid, but with Okafor healthy and showing glimpses of dominance, he’s become less of a cog in the grand scheme of the adage known as “The Process”.

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Embiid, last season, albeit in a less severe way, garnered negative attention from the press from his unwillingness to follow rehabilitation procedures. He was reported to be overweight, drank Shirley Temples on the regular and refused to wear his protective walking boot in the offseason which led to another foot surgery in August.

Many pundits felt “The Process” lived and died on the progression of Joel Embiid, but Okafor’s ability to stay healthy and show the ability to eventually become a top-5 center warrants his worth. The Sixers moved Noel to power forward to cater to Okafor’s offensive style as a low-post presence, have drastically slowed down their pace of play, and have evidently crafted his offensive repertoire throughout the season.

When referring to upside, it’s arguably a debate between Embiid and Okafor, but the rookie’s ability to stay healthy is a plus moving forward. It’s paramount that he change his demeanor off the court to shake off the negative media buzz the team has received lately.

Starting the season off 0-18 is a burden for any team in sports, but Okafor’s teammates have dealt with the ramifications quite effectively. After every win, Noel, as well as other teammates, take to Twitter to thank the fans for their support in the teams’ win or express elation.

That joyous attitude has been devoid this season and winning games would be a definitive plus for morale moving forward. Okafor hasn’t experienced a regular season victory to date, but maybe a few Ws could rid the ominous cloud towering above his head. Okafor knows his vitality to the organization, he just needs to show it not just on the court, but away from it for “The Process” to be successful.

When he takes the floor tonight against the Los Angeles Lakers, who ironically passed over him in the 2015 NBA Draft, we hope to see a more intense, dominant Okafor willing to erase recent history.