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The 2015 NBA Draft is a forgettable one for fans of the Philadelphia 76ers. After another tough season in the middle of The Process, the Sixers landed the number 3 pick in the draft and everybody had their sights set on D’Angelo Russell out of Ohio State.
Unfortunately for fans, Russell was selected number 2 overall by the Los Angeles Lakers and it came down to Jahlil Okafor and Kristaps Porzingis for the Sixers. Conventional wisdom says that the team should go for Porzingis considering that they just drafted Joel Embiid in 2014, but Porzingis’ team steered him away from The Process as they clearly did not trust it. Another thing, Okafor was just too good to pass up on at the time after a sensational season at Duke.
Okafor had a solid rookie season averaging 17.5 points and 7.0 rebounds as the team went through a 10-72 season. He was then phased out after that as Embiid finally touched the floor after missing the first two seasons of his career with an injury. The play of Embiid combined with weight and off the floor issues made Okafor expendable and the team sent him to the Brooklyn Nets in 2017.
Since then, Okafor has signed with the New Orleans Pelicans and he has seemed to find a niche with them. He is averaging 8.2 points and 4.6 rebounds off their bench and is providing some energy for them in short spurts. He just did not work out in Philadelphia after the team saw what Embiid could do once he was healthy. [lawrence-related id=37782,37779,37776]