Sizing Up the Sixers (18-34):Playing time has fluctuated. A nagging injury has
come and gone. Rumblings about his status with the team have swirled. Through it
all, Jahlil Okafor keeps doing what he can do to be a contributing member of the
76ers’ roster. Against the San Antonio Spurs Wednesday night, the second-year
center turned in one of his finer performances of the season. In less than 25
minutes, he deposited 20 points (5-10 fg), sunk 10 off 11 free throw attempts
(both career-highs), pulled down eight rebounds (four of which came off the
offensive glass), and blocked two shots.The effort was well-rounded and
impactful, allowing the Sixers to stay within striking distance of the NBA’s
second-best team throughout most of what proved to be a competitive contest.
Beyond that, Okafor promoted the spreading of a feisty spirit throughout his
squad, a welcomed development in the eyes of Brett Brown.”Just being
aggressive,” was how Okafor summed up his game, the second of the year that
ended with him hitting the 20-point mark. That Okafor has managed lately to mute
some of the outside noise surrounding him has endeared him that much more to
Brown, who has consistently credited the 21-year old for being a hard-worker,
and willing learner. On multiple occasions, the head coach has referred to
Okafor as a “star” for the maturity with which he’s forged ahead, and
concentrated on the task at hand.Brown has found talking to Okafor in
transparent terms to be beneficial on multiple fronts. “It’s how I feel most
comfortable,” Brown said Wednesday. “I feel like it cleanses myself. I feel like
we can talk where it’s real – I can help him, we will help him.”With Joel Embiid
now having been sidelined for six consecutive contests with a left knee
contusion, Okafor has, understandably, been thrust back into a more steady role
in the Sixers’ rotation. On the heels of being held out of four straight games
himself, Okafor has since received the starting nod in all but one of the tilts
Embiid has missed. The exception was last Saturday in Miami, when Okafor
experienced soreness in his right knee. The Sixers’ past two games in particular
– Monday at Detroit, and Wednesday versus San Antonio – Okafor has seemed
increasingly active, whether it be in respect to his offensive output, his
hustle around the glass, or his ability to simply get up and down the
court.Brown has stayed on him.”I’m going to coach him until somebody tells me
I’m not,” said Brown. “If he’s not rebounding, he’ll hear about it. If he’s not
running the floor, he’ll hear about it. If he’s doing a hell of a job getting
deep catches on post touches, he’ll be praised for it, and that’s all I know,
and so that’s the deal.”Specific to Wednesday’s showing at The Center, Brown and
Okafor alike considered quick decision-making critical to the big man’s success.
Brown said afterwards he wants Okafor living in a “0.5 world,” which, in
Brown-speak, refers to the amount of time, in seconds, it takes for Okafor to
determine what he intends to do when the ball is in his hands. “Anything that’s
quick favors him,” Brown said. “Anything that isn’t doesn’t help him or us. I
think he’s been excellent at living in what I call and he and I talk about as a
‘0.5 world.’ You get a half a second, let’s go.”Take a look, for instance, at
the first three baskets Okafor scored Wednesday evening. In each sequence, he
was decisive in initiating action after the basketball reached him (Sixers.com
is working on developing a ‘0.5 world’ counter). The results were
positive.Faster decisions tend to favor Okafor in another important way as well,
according to Brown. They get the center moving, making him that much more
valuable, on both sides of the hardwood.”When his motion is forward, he’s really
hard to defend, because he’s nimble enough to go one way, spin out of it, and
make a move,” explained Brown. “I think that double teams can’t get to him as
quickly. “I think going the other way, when he really gets down the floor, and
can get himself set, and decide what voice he’s going to give in pick and roll
defense. He is the commander in chief – he sees the whole gym from his
position.”When it comes to Okafor, and looking ahead to the future, Brown is
solely focused on matters pertaining to the Chicagoan’s development. Wednesday,
the coach revisited a theory he’s submitted in the past – that Okafor might just
be a “more capable elbow player than he is at a night. I’m going to keep working
hard for this team, and this organization.”Thursday morning, the Sixers
confirmed that neither Embiid nor Richaun Holmes (upper respiratory infection)
would be with the team in Orlando for Thursday’s match-up.Sizing Up the Magic
(20-34):The start of the new year hasn’t been very kind to Orlando. Heading into
Thursday’s pairing with the Sixers, the Magic have dropped 15 of their 20 games
in 2017.Aaron Gordon, a former number four pick and slam-dunking phenom, is
listed as questionable for Thursday’s contest, due to a sprained right foot.
Acquired on draft night via a trade with Oklahoma City, Serge Ibaka is scoring
at the highest rate of his career, averaging 15.2 points per game. The four-time
NBA blocks champion is on-pace for a seventh straight season with at least 100
swats.Series History:The Sixers and Orlando have already played twice this
campaign, with the Magic taking both games by scores of 103-102 and 105-88,
respectively. The first two meetings of the four-game season series were held in
South Philadelphia. Dario Saric set a career-high with 21 points the first time
around versus Orlando. A month later, Jahlil Okafor came off the bench against
the Magic to produce 16 points and 13 rebounds for his lone double-double of the
season.Follow Along:
TV – Comcast SportsNet
Radio – 97.5 FM The Fanatic
Video Stream -CSNPhilly.com
Player: Joel Embiid
Player: Richaun Holmes
Player: Jahlil Okafor
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