Philadelphia 76ers: 5 takeaways from 2017-18 Media Day

2. The forgotten Sixer

With all the media hype and attention centred on the emerging trio of Embiid, Fultz and Simmons, it’s incredibly easy to forget that there’s also another young, high lottery pick on the Sixers’ roster.

Jahlil Okafor was the No. 3 overall selection in 2015. But following a premising rookie campaign, the emergence of Embiid last season has made Okafor somewhat redundant moving forward.

So naturally when addressing the media, the subject of trade speculation was raised:

"“It has been a lot, I hear all the trade rumours just like you guys do, just trying to stay as professional as possible, control what I can. That’s why I took the initiative this offseason to change my diet and to lose weight, and just try to prepare the best way I can so once the season comes I’ll be in good shape no matter where I end up.”"

Given Okafor has missed 61 games in his first two seasons, with recurring knee issues becoming a  common denominator. So credit should be given to the 21-year-old for recognizing that dropping weight is going to be beneficial on his joints for both the present and the future:

"“It wasn’t easy. The first drastic change I made was my diet. I became a vegan. I didn’t jump full vegan. I gradually made my way to that. First I took out dairy. I took out steak and chicken and fish and then some of my favorites like cheese. All the other BS I was putting in my body I cut out. “The reason for doing that was so that I could become healthy. I read somewhere that dairy wasn’t inflammatory and my knee was always swelling up last season. I had no idea about that, so once I found that out, I cut out dairy. Now I’m a full-on vegan and I feel great. I’m gonna stick with it.”"

So while Okafor’s tenure in Philadelphia appears rather tenuous, the Sixers will be heartened in the knowledge that Okafor has given himself every chance to succeed, if required, this season.