February 12, 2016
Many weeks, I have at least some degree of trouble figuring out what story to highlight at the top of this post. This was not one of them.
ESPN’s TrueHoop released a profile on Jahlil Okafor in which the Sixers rookie center opens up about his off-court troubles from a couple of months ago to a degree that he really hasn’t yet. This wasn’t all about reflection, though. There were some fun facts scattered within the piece, such as:
• Okafor is driving Elton Brand’s Land Rover around, because the Old School Chevy wants the rookie to learn how to save money. In that Land Rover, Okafor listens to Adele. Last summer, he stated that his favorite television show is Pretty Little Liars.
• When Okafor was in a New York City hotel room the night Sam Hinkie suspended him for two games, he watched the Sixers and Duke games while eating a bunch of donuts. Sports science, y’all.
Still, the most interesting parts of the piece are when Okafor gets into some detail on the three highly publicized off-court incidents from October and November. First, there was the time a gun was pulled on his group (specifically, he claims, a friend’s girlfriend) in Old City. His response:
“I wouldn't say I regret that the incident happened. You never want that to happen, but it was something I was able to learn from and become a better person because of it. It was frightening, to be sure. It just happened so quickly. I don't remember what I was thinking. It was just like a quick flash. I was lucky the police were there right away."
Then, there were also those Boston street fights in the wee hours of the morning on Thanksgiving. Okafor said that he was being heckled and the events went pretty much how the video spelled them out:
"When the video came out, it was definitely embarrassing. It was hard to watch. I've watched the video once pretty much because I was disgusted looking at myself in the video."
Okafor also touches on when he was living his life a quarter-mile at a time doing 108 over the Ben Franklin Bridge. Why he went over the bridge when apparently driving home from the Eagles game, we may never know. Maybe he was taking a look at the new practice digs over in Camden?
Overall, it’s an interesting read. Okafor doesn’t exactly “say the right things,” which isn’t necessarily a problem from anything more than a P.R. perspective. Whether he is able to avoid those same situations from October and November moving forward, that will be the true test if he has learned anything.
MoreyBall, Goodhart's Law, and the Limits of Analytics: Seth Partnow, Vice Sports
Like the Houston Rockets (Sam Hinkie’s old team), the Sixers take more shots from three and at the rim (shots that the math indicates you should be taking) than most teams. The Sixers aren’t a good test case because of their low talent level, but Partnow notes getting shots from high-value areas doesn’t necessarily mean they’re good ones. It’s a good article for people who are worried that numbers are going to ruin basketball:
Like assists and early shots, three-pointers and shots at the rim are indicators of good offense, but they're not good offense in a vacuum, and teams that use them as targets should be wary of putting the cart before the horse. Those are good shots in theory. In practice, the best shots are the ones the personnel on hand can make, a lesson the Spurs have put to use as one of the NBA's annual leaders in measures of shot-making accounting for difficulty.
Grading the Sixers at the break: Bob Cooney, Philadelphia Daily News
Cooney is a tad more generous with his grades than I am, but our conclusions are very similar. Here is what he said about Okafor:
The third overall pick has been pretty much what was advertised, maybe even a little more special at the offensive end. Though opponents have double-teamed him, know that he favors spin moves and is basically a below-the-rim player in the halfcourt, he still is very difficult to cover. He is getting better at finding open teammates and has demonstrated a legitimate midrange game. The problem, also as advertised, is his defense. Flatfooted and out of position too much, the hope is that Okafor's high basketball IQ and familiarity with foes will lead to better defense.
Sixers Mailbag #14: Derek Bodner, Philly Mag
Strongly agree with Bodner on the state of the Lakers pick. Considering how weak this draft class is shaping up after Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram, waiting another year for it to convey wouldn’t be the worst outcome in the world:
At the very least, I want the Lakers to maintain the second worst record this year, which would guarantee one of three possible outcomes: the Sixers get the Lakers pick as either the #4 pick or #5 pick this year, or it carries over to 2017. What I don't want is to open up the possibility of the Lakers pick falling to #6 or #7 this year, and if that means there's a 55 percent chance the pick doesn't convey until next year, I'm more than willing to take that chance.
And speaking of Bodner, you should give our latest Sixers Beat podcast a listen:
Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher got into a long argument with Process Trusters on Twitter yesterday. Check his timeline for the full back and forth:
Three years later: 8-win team, future picks, low payroll & still no discernible franchise cornerstone. Congrats. https://t.co/lWOpdGh0Ar
— Ric Bucher (@RicBucher) February 11, 2016
OKC tanked one year. Sixers, 3 and counting. Embiid/no Embiid they were lotto-bound w/out a PG this year. #Facts https://t.co/2WD3fkTKuX
— Ric Bucher (@RicBucher) February 11, 2016
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann
