[jwplayer UssR8JRO-z6KDnl0B]
In every NBA draft, there are always a few picks who can be labeled as flops or busts or whatever terminology one would like to use. The Philadelphia 76ers made one of those questionable moves in 2015 when they had the number 3 pick in that draft.
At the time, the Sixers already had big man Joel Embiid who they selected in 2014 and they also had Nerlens Noel from the 2013 draft. With their 2015 selection, they decided to go with Duke’s Jahlil Okafor who fashioned himself a fine season with the Blue Devils. He averaged 17.3 points and 8.5 rebounds in college.
The pick came with a ton of scrutiny as they were criticized for selecting yet another big man, especially in the middle of a massive rebuild when they had other needs, but hindsight is also 20-20. Okafor was the best player on the board, Embiid had not yet played and Noel showed promise on the defensive end, but had yet to show anything on the offensive end.
Bleacher Report put together a list of the biggest draft flops over the years and Okafor came in as the number 1 flop of 2015:
Adding a lumbering big who didn’t project to space the floor or anchor a defense should’ve been deemed dangerous regardless of roster context. The league was moving in the complete opposite direction. Burning another top selection on a third center made the optics worse, particularly when the Sixers didn’t immediately move any of them. They couldn’t play together, and it created an aura of combustibility to an already-flammable situation.
Okafor had a solid rookie season averaging a robust 17.5 points and 7.0 rebounds. However, Embiid finally made his debut and he proved to be worth the hype. Okafor’s minutes dropped from 30 to 22.7 in his second season and he was then shipped to the Brooklyn Nets in his third season along with Nik Stauskas for Trevor Booker.
He now plays for the New Orleans Pelicans as he has seemed to have found a role as a backup big man. His style of play is not quite suited for today’s era of run and gun basketball, but he does enough to have a niche in New Orleans. [lawrence-related id=38770,38755,38752]