Rest and relaxation.A chance to turn off the switch, if only for a fleeting moment. These luxuries are seldom enjoyed by players, let alone rookies, over the course the five and a half month, 82-game grind of the NBA regular season. At the present, however, thanks to the All-Star Game break, some rare, well-earned R & R is exactly what the Sixers’ three first-year contributors are enjoying. Last week, as they headed into their current hiatus, the members of the Sixers’ rookie trio reflected on their progress to-date, and goals going forward. “I did what I wanted to do, which is get better every day, so I achieved that,” said Jahlil Okafor, the third overall selection in this past June’s NBA Draft. Through the unofficial first half of the campaign, he’s averaging 17.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Those figures rank tied for first and third, respectively, among rookies. He tallied 13 points (6-7 fg), four rebounds, and three assists in Friday’s BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge. #ICYMI >> @JahlilOkafor in action at #BBVARisingStars Challengehttps://t.co/jOQmHQkpgQ— Philadelphia 76ers (@Sixers) February 13, 2016 The trends behind Okafor’s statistics further support his belief that he’s gotten better as the season has moved along. In January, Okafor delivered arguably his most well-rounded month of the season, as the center averaged 17.2 points per game. He also shot 60.9 percent from the field in January, his best mark yet for a month. Finally, Okafor’s January offensive and defensive ratings were his most efficient to-date. Given Okafor’s draft slot, the start of his debut season was accompanied by lofty expectations. Not nearly as expected, however, was the emergence T.J. McConnell, who this year has become one of the Sixers’ biggest surprise stories, and a breakout performer in the NBA’s rookie class. Due to the point guard injuries the Sixers were dealing with at the outset of training camp, the gritty, determined McConnell was given the chance to play right away, starting 13 times in November. He’s gone on to log 53 appearances, tied for the third-highest total in the league. “I think I’ve played alright,” said McConnell, who accounts for 6.2 points, 4.8 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.3 steals in 20.9 minutes per game. His rate of 10.9 assists per 48 minutes ranks first among rookies. McConnell considered December a critical month not only for his personal development, but that of the entire Sixers’ roster. “The improvement that this team’s made since the addition of Ish [Smith], and Coach [Mike] D’Antoni and [Chairman of Basketball Operations Jerry] Colangelo, this team has kind of, I don’t want to say a new identity, but we’re just playing better basketball, and I’m happy about that,” McConnell said. The Sixers have earned eight of their nine wins since the picking up Smith via trade on December 26th.While Okafor and McConnell have carved out consistent spots in the Sixers’ rotation, Richaun Holmes, the team’s third rookie, has been battling for a more steady role, due to a combination of injury and depth chart factors. Still, he’s made the most of his playing time, averaging 6.1 points and 2.5 rebounds in 14.2 minutes per game. “Just trying to learn, take in different things about playing my first year in the NBA,” said Holmes, who’s blocked 31 shots. “It’s been a learning experience, been trying to get better, make sure I’m not the same as I was in the beginning of the season.”Holmes has certainly shown intriguing promise. The Bowling Green alum has been a punishing presence at the rim, throwing down 34 dunks and converting 71.0 percent of his field goal attempts taken from less than five feet from the bucket. Furthermore, if he met the league’s playing time requirements, Holmes would be ranked second among rookies in field goal percentage (55.1) and two-point field goal percentage (64.2), and third in true shooting percentage (59.2). When asked about the greatest lesson he’s absorbed so far, Holmes said, “Probably that you got to bring it every night in this league. There’s no nights off. No off match-ups. Everybody can play, so just learning to bring it every night.”On Wednesday evening, the Sixers’ will reassemble for their first time since the All-Star Game break began, gathering for practice at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. As the club looks ahead to its final 29 games of the season, its three rookies have set specific objectives.”The season’s going by pretty fast, but it is a lot of games,” said Okafor, who’s already logged 47 appearances, after playing 38 games as a freshman at Duke last year. He’s “definitely” hopeful the squad can prove to be more successful in close games over the next eight weeks. “We have had trouble finishing games,” Okafor acknowledged. The Sixers are 4-20 in outings decided by 10 points or less. In their final two games before the break, the Sixers lost by six points to the Los Angeles Clippers, and by four points to the Sacramento Kings. For McConnell, he aims to further acquaint himself with all aspects of the league.
#ICYMI >> @JahlilOkafor in action at #BBVARisingStars Challengehttps://t.co/jOQmHQkpgQ
“Kind of just knowing guys’ tendencies when I’m on defense, what they do, and just knowing personnel better,” the Arizona product said. “If I get that down, that will help me tremendously.”Holmes, meanwhile, has found maintaining a strong sense of self-belief to be beneficial. “I haven’t surprised myself,” he said. “I know I belong in the league. Just looking forward to getting more opportunity to go out and prove it.” Among the items on Holmes’ to-do list are “just becoming more complete. Knocking down the three-ball [with] more consistency, jump shots in general, defensive rebounding, just keep getting better in those areas.” The Sixers’ first game back from the All-Star break is this Friday, when they begin a two-game road trip with a stop in New Orleans. The short trek concludes Sunday at Dallas.
