Trust The Process: 76ers rookie Jahlil Okafor impresses early

Under general manager Sam Hinkie, the Philadelphia 76ers strategy is well known: Be bad until you’re good. Hinkie has devised a business-like model for running a basketball team by keeping costs low and the team terrible until he strikes gold with a blockbuster product — in this case, a superstar draft pick.

To date, Hinkie hasn’t been very successful. In the 2013 NBA Draft, his first with the organization, Hinkie selected big man Nerlens Noel and point guard Michael Carter-Williams. Despite winning Rookie of the Year in 2014, Carter-Williams was shipped out of Philadelphia the next season for a first round pick. Noel is still with the team. He’s a solid defensive piece, but he lacks the offensive game that could make him a franchise player. In 2014, Hinkie selected another big man, Joel Embiid, despite various medical red flags raised during the draft process. Due to injury, Embiid has yet to play a game for the Sixers while rumors swirl regarding his work ethic.

Trust the process.

Now, Hinkie is onto his fourth potential superstar and he may have finally found the answer. In 2015, the 76ers selected Jahlil Okafor with the third pick in the NBA Draft. Okafor was a dynamic big man in college, dominating opponents with an arsenal of post-up moves that hasn’t been seen since Tim Duncan took the floor for Wake Forest in the late 1990s. In just three games, Okafor has already impressed the league with his offensive game. He scored 26 points in his debut against Boston, the second most points by a center in their debut since 1963. While he struggled in a 4-for-12, 10 point performance against the Jazz, Okafor bounced back by hanging 24 points on Cleveland, the defending Eastern Conference champ, in his third outing.

Okafor’s offensive game is special. He does his best to emulate those who came before him, focusing on learning the post moves of other great big men. Most interesting, though, is that Okafor already ranks second in the NBA in points per possession on isolation plays, according to Synergy. His 1.46 PPP rank behind only Jimmy Butler and while three games is a small sample size, Okafor is getting plenty of opportunities to showcase his skills. His 13 isolation touches are tied for 10th in the league just behind the likes of Paul George, Rudy Gay and Kevin Durant.

Unlike most big men his size, Okafor has the ability to put the ball on the floor and take his man off the dribble. At 6-11 and 275 pounds, he has no problem facing up the defender as far out as the 3-point line and he’s already shown off a go-to move in these situations. Okafor will drive before turning, spinning towards his right shoulder and reversing back to his left shoulder for a right-handed hook shot.

Okafor’s finishing isn’t limited to his right hand, though. He can also put the ball on the ground going left and has shown the ability to finish through contact, as he did here against Timofey Mozgov.

It would seem that Okafor’s success comes from taking advantage of the situation. Against larger, slower defenders, he’s willing to put the ball on the floor and make his way towards the rim. Against smaller opponents, Okafor has no problem banging his way into the paint and using his strength to simply out-muscle his defender.

The final thing that caught my eye is what appears to be Okafor’s improved jumper. As a 51 percent free throw shooter in college, I think it’s fair to say that few expected Okafor to be lighting up pull up jumpers in his first three games in the league, but that’s exactly what he’s doing.

Hinkie’s team-building strategy with the Sixers has been the subject of much ire over the past few seasons, but the offensive potential that Okafor has shown over the first three games of the season should give Philadelphia fans some hope that they may indeed finally have their franchise superstar.

Just remember to trust the process.