For Philadelphia, the three most appealing trade targets are young centers Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor, and Joel Embiid. Anything above 40 on the bridge is considered as reckless driving.
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Then there is the alleged fake I.D. incident that ironically occurred at the Misconduct Tavern in Philly also in October.
Okafor was allegedly involved in an altercations outside a Boston nightclub late Wednesday night. 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).
All stats via ESPN. While the 3rd overall pick has demonstrated some deficiencies on the defensive end and has had stretches of ineffectiveness against top-end big men, Okafor’s game has been as-advertised.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Okafor, the No 3 pick in the 2015 National Basketball Association draft, was travelling 78 miles an hour (125.5km/h) over the speed limit.
Okafor’s reported misconduct prompted reactions on social media under the hashtag #StuffJahlilDid, many of which consisted of sarcastic quips about his alarming number of missteps. “Something I’m embarrassed about”.
Okafor isn’t quite done owning his choices publicly though (and refusing to talk to reporters about them doesn’t seem like owning them, but I digress), because another one of them came out today. With two season-ending injuries already on the record, the return in a potential deal probably will not be as hefty as the team would like, but it’s better to deal him now and not risk the possibility of the situation getting worse.
According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, Okafor’s issues come as a major surprise to the Sixers organization. The 76ers run the risk of having continual setbacks if players are willing to risk financial security for a chance off of the team.
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Okafor is only 19 and he’s one of the bright spots on an embarrassingly bad 76ers team. “To think that you are going to build the program that we have built that is dominated by 19- and 20-year-old kids and for there not to be problems is very, very, very naive”, said Brown. Whether or not he meant it as a disrespectful act, the other rookies both folded their jerseys and placed them on the table, whereas Okafor just threw his down in a heap. “Well, they never got players and how we work”.
