Welcome Okafor

[76ers 2020]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqXM2RBHnpo[/youtube]

Very noticeable in that video how much weight he has lost. Must be down 20-25 lbs. now from when he was drafted.

[mksp]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqXM2RBHnpo[/youtube]

Very noticeable in that video how much weight he has lost. Must be down 20-25 lbs. now from when he was drafted.

I'll take the under on that. Maybe 5-10 lbs. Maaaaybe.

I'm shocked how many people here think Okafor is a player to build around.

I don't think there's any way he's on the team in two years. I also believe Embiid will be healthy, and I like the Embiid-Noel-Saric-Grant rotation a lot more than any involving Okafor, so am looking forward to him being traded for a wing or guard.

I think he has value, I just don't think he'll ever be a top-3 guy on a championship team.

[Mik317]

"he looks like he lost weight"

"NO HE DOESN'T. HE SUCKS. HE WONT BE HERE IN A YEAR AAAAAHHH"

like wow dude..your agenda is showing

[mksp]

"he looks like he lost weight"

"NO HE DOESN'T. HE SUCKS. HE WONT BE HERE IN A YEAR AAAAAHHH"

like wow dude..your agenda is showing

Eh, I strung some thoughts together in a single post.

Accusing someone of having an "agenda" is such ridiculous, reductive logic. This is the Okafor thread. This is where we talk about his strengths and flaws as a player.

I hope he continues to play well, so we can trade him for a real piece or pieces.

[ET Da Gawd]

I dont understand how dudes are talking about trading him, he's wayyyyy better than demarcus was his rookie year...Jahs getting these numbers with mad freezouts and little to no assists.

[phifans]

"he looks like he lost weight"

"NO HE DOESN'T. HE SUCKS. HE WONT BE HERE IN A YEAR AAAAAHHH"

like wow dude..your agenda is showing

Eh, I strung some thoughts together in a single post.

Accusing someone of having an "agenda" is such ridiculous, reductive logic. This is the Okafor thread. This is where we talk about his strengths and flaws as a player.

I hope he continues to play well, so we can trade him for a real piece or pieces.

Logic for Okafor haters here. When he's played bad: Trade him he sucks! When he's played better: Trade him his trade value is up!
And the same group of people claimed they don't have agenda. How hilarious was that ?

[FreesFro]

KP rookie of month for January over Jah? Ha, joke.

[CoreyGallagher]

KP rookie of month for January over Jah? Ha, joke.

I figured that was going to happen when he missed the 2 games recently. Out of sight and all.

[mksp]

"he looks like he lost weight"

"NO HE DOESN'T. HE SUCKS. HE WONT BE HERE IN A YEAR AAAAAHHH"

like wow dude..your agenda is showing

Eh, I strung some thoughts together in a single post.

Accusing someone of having an "agenda" is such ridiculous, reductive logic. This is the Okafor thread. This is where we talk about his strengths and flaws as a player.

I hope he continues to play well, so we can trade him for a real piece or pieces.

Logic for Okafor haters here. When he's played bad: Trade him he sucks! When he's played better: Trade him his trade value is up!
And the same group of people claimed they don't have agenda. How hilarious was that ?

Accusing other posters of having an agenda is seriously one of the saddest arguments made on the internet.

He will never be a two way player. He will be traded. Colangelo / Brown / Hinkie hinted as much today.

[phifans]

Eh, I strung some thoughts together in a single post.

Accusing someone of having an "agenda" is such ridiculous, reductive logic. This is the Okafor thread. This is where we talk about his strengths and flaws as a player.

I hope he continues to play well, so we can trade him for a real piece or pieces.

Logic for Okafor haters here. When he's played bad: Trade him he sucks! When he's played better: Trade him his trade value is up!
And the same group of people claimed they don't have agenda. How hilarious was that ?

Accusing other posters of having an agenda is seriously one of the saddest arguments made on the internet.

He will never be a two way player. He will be traded. Colangelo / Brown / Hinkie hinted as much today.

What you think will happen has nothing to do with what actually will happen.

[mksp]

Logic for Okafor haters here. When he's played bad: Trade him he sucks! When he's played better: Trade him his trade value is up!
And the same group of people claimed they don't have agenda. How hilarious was that ?

Accusing other posters of having an agenda is seriously one of the saddest arguments made on the internet.

He will never be a two way player. He will be traded. Colangelo / Brown / Hinkie hinted as much today.

What you think will happen has nothing to do with what actually will happen.

Yes, 100%. I'm speculating.

[CoreyGallagher]

They didn't hint at anything, JC admitted what we're all aware of, that Okafor (a rookie) has his deficiencies. He also mentioned Noel is what he is, a rim protecting Center, specifically. Both of which are issues given our circumstances.

[Mik317]

I don;t even like Jah like that and I think it stupid to write his career story right now. Its dumb as hell to say a guy will NEVER do something based off of not even a full year. Especially one in our situation. Not saying he will totes turn it around and fix all of his flaws but generally players get better over time ...I don't think that is a stretch.

besides the fact that dude said "looks like he lost some weight" and was immediately met with "JAH ISN'T WORTH BUILDING AROUND" as a response...I'm sorry..it looks like an agenda to me. I've seen this **** before in which any slight positive thing about a player is met with this weird hatred ASAP. It happened with Iggy a lot..and it sucked then too.

I just can't jive with this weird vibe that many around here would rather players outright fail all in the name of them looking right on the internet. It sucks when people around here, come to a knee jerk reaction on a player and then take this "I will die on this hill" stance on them to the point of being massive haters..for players on their own damn team. Often with them then being super overzealous over another player. The Iggy wars sucked. The Jrue V Turner wars sucked. The MCW wars sucked...and this Noel V Jah **** is THE worst ****. Both dudes are heavily flawed guys who as things stand probably will not be here if we ever get good. But until that day comes there is no need to choose sides as we always do...only to immediately switch gears when that guy is moved (or in many cases both guys) in which many homer buttons are pressed and suddenly the dudes we raged over were totally garbage and never worth keeping because reasons (until proven they were worth it later...some of you guys flip flop hard as **** (myself probably included)).

Jah is flawed. The chances of him getting much better at the things he sucks at..is a longshot. But a lot of things around this program are...and yet we believe in those somehow. Again I'm no Jah Lifer. But I think he is too smart, physically gifted (he may not be LeBron tier athletically but he moves really well for a guy his size and his handle also is dang good) and while many hated the Boston incident...it does show he cares despite his personality...that is a good thing for us because it means he at least will put in work. He'll never be Prime Dwight good rebounding and defending the paint. That sucks for some but it is what it is. Honestly I think the only way either stay longterm is if Embiid proves Snoop right and never gets healthy (still a good chance at that). Writing Jah off now also ignores what growth he could have offensively as he matures. There are some players who are worth their deficiencies if they are elite offensively (not saying Jah is or will be). The same can be said of Noel but on the flipside. I love Noel. I like his hustle and the way he wrecks games...but just as Jah's offense comes with some caviats...Noel's defense does as well (he still gets pushed around a lot and nicked up a lot.) So if the choice is between the two you are going to be left giving up something while also hoping against hope that they become at the very least mediocre at their flaws....and if that is going to be your hope for one...then you can do the same for the other.

[ExplosionsInDaSky]

Accusing other posters of having an agenda is seriously one of the saddest arguments made on the internet.

He will never be a two way player. He will be traded. Colangelo / Brown / Hinkie hinted as much today.

What you think will happen has nothing to do with what actually will happen.

Yes, 100%. I'm speculating.

Uh no...you are %100 hating. You flame him EVERY chance you get. In fact...95% of your posts are based around bashing Okafor. You seemingly have an agenda, it is rather irritating, but you are certainly entitled to an opinion, I respect opinions , just not predisposed prejudice ideology and opinions. Okafor could score 50 and grab 15 rebounds and you'd complain because he had three turnovers. It's what haters do.

[spikeslovechild]

I don;t even like Jah like that and I think it stupid to write his career story right now. Its dumb as hell to say a guy will NEVER do something based off of not even a full year. Especially one in our situation. Not saying he will totes turn it around and fix all of his flaws but generally players get better over time ...I don't think that is a stretch.

besides the fact that dude said "looks like he lost some weight" and was immediately met with "JAH ISN'T WORTH BUILDING AROUND" as a response...I'm sorry..it looks like an agenda to me. I've seen this **** before in which any slight positive thing about a player is met with this weird hatred ASAP. It happened with Iggy a lot..and it sucked then too.

I just can't jive with this weird vibe that many around here would rather players outright fail all in the name of them looking right on the internet. It sucks when people around here, come to a knee jerk reaction on a player and then take this "I will die on this hill" stance on them to the point of being massive haters..for players on their own damn team. Often with them then being super overzealous over another player. The Iggy wars sucked. The Jrue V Turner wars sucked. The MCW wars sucked...and this Noel V Jah **** is THE worst ****. Both dudes are heavily flawed guys who as things stand probably will not be here if we ever get good. But until that day comes there is no need to choose sides as we always do...only to immediately switch gears when that guy is moved (or in many cases both guys) in which many homer buttons are pressed and suddenly the dudes we raged over were totally garbage and never worth keeping because reasons (until proven they were worth it later...some of you guys flip flop hard as **** (myself probably included)).

Jah is flawed. The chances of him getting much better at the things he sucks at..is a longshot. But a lot of things around this program are...and yet we believe in those somehow. Again I'm no Jah Lifer. But I think he is too smart, physically gifted (he may not be LeBron tier athletically but he moves really well for a guy his size and his handle also is dang good) and while many hated the Boston incident...it does show he cares despite his personality...that is a good thing for us because it means he at least will put in work. He'll never be Prime Dwight good rebounding and defending the paint. That sucks for some but it is what it is. Honestly I think the only way either stay longterm is if Embiid proves Snoop right and never gets healthy (still a good chance at that). Writing Jah off now also ignores what growth he could have offensively as he matures. There are some players who are worth their deficiencies if they are elite offensively (not saying Jah is or will be). The same can be said of Noel but on the flipside. I love Noel. I like his hustle and the way he wrecks games...but just as Jah's offense comes with some caviats...Noel's defense does as well (he still gets pushed around a lot and nicked up a lot.) So if the choice is between the two you are going to be left giving up something while also hoping against hope that they become at the very least mediocre at their flaws....and if that is going to be your hope for one...then you can do the same for the other.

I don't really agree with this. Besides of him having the physical tools to correct many of his weaknesses we've already seen him make tremendous strides correcting his game from adding range, fixing his FT, rim protection, defense. To be honest the growth in just a half-a-season has been astounding.

Lets be honest here many of the people who want him moved haven't really hid their agenda at all. It's all about Noel starting. To me anyways I think both are good players but Okafor has just so much more potential. If he wants to fix his defense and rebounding he can do it. If he wants to block/alter shots he has the length to do that too. it's all about how much work he is willing to put in over his career.

[76ciology]

Same with Mik3. I'm not a Jah lifer. But I do post a lot about Jah because it's tough to be interested on a team with limited wins and limited talent. Jah is our "new toy" this season. Just by this board, there's not a lot to talk about except for Jah. That the DLo thread might end up to be one of the most interesting one for us this season. We are even talking about guys not on this team this season like Saric or Biid or we even monitor teams that aren't our teams like Kings, Heat and the Lakers. Not much to talk about except for Canaan's potential to be Steph Curry.

Yeah, I also have the same sentiment about the Boston incident. He cares. Not just the team's situation but also the criticisms to his game. That's why I welcome criticisms about Jah because he's the type who is proactive in improving his flaws.

Most people say.. "Let's give him time.." "It's the coaches fault.." "Rookies usually takes time to adjust.." when their rookie aren't performing well and is looking closer to be a bust as day progress. But the kid has shown improvement in his defense and potential to be a great scorer in the league. His rebounding is comparable to his rookie peers like KP or Turner. And rebounding is something you can improve at with effort, technique and experience.

I, sincerely, say give Jah some time because he has shown the tools and the will to care about improving his flaws he's not a lost cause like Evan Turner, Derrick Williams or Thabeet. When we play, you can see the attention the opposing team gives at him on defense or how there's a gap in talent between him and his opponent. It's hard not to be a special player when you have that much combination of IQ, coordination,commitment to improve, skillset, length and mobility at the PF/C position.

[Duke4life831]

I know Im biased but I dont know how you cant be impressed with Jah. He has shot 60% since getting an actual NBA PG, just think if he had Rubio setting him up like Towns does, how much better would he look with him. Also since you guys got Ish, Jah has the second best defensive rating, holds his opponents to a worse fg% from 6 feet and in compared to Towns, and he challenges a lot more shots than WCS who is a freak athlete at the 5 and is a great rookie defender. The dude clearly has stepped up his defensive rotations and the eye test and stats show that. Ya his rebounding has been bad, but he averages only 1.5 less per 36 than Towns. And with how mobile, strong and long Oak is, I dont think it will take to much work for him to get better at that as well. Since you guys have got Ish, Jah has looked like the best rookie. He looks like the definition of a potential franchise player along with KP and Towns

[Agnostifarian]

Good posts here MIK317 and 76ciology, especially the "dying on the hill" of our own personal scouting... I will do my part and lay off Russell. Mainly, we're all frustrated at not having a super star yet. I do think OK4 has either lost some weight or redistributed it because he does't have the baby fat that he carried at Duke. Barkley's conditioning improved early in his career and it made a difference in his play.

We've been through a ton of losing in this process. I do think the organization has passed it's low point. We still need a ton of luck.

[ankle420breaker]

^^ Somehow I feel like I'm in the minority, but I totally agree with you. I've definitely been impressed with Jah this season. His defense isn't as bad as advertised and everything I've seen from him suggests that he can be a #1 scoring option in this league. The mid-range jumper is coming along and his post game is ridiculously advanced for a 20 year old rookie. He knows he can draw doubles and is capable of passing out to open shooters. He's the total package offensively.

This is a guy that could be HUGE for us in a 7 game series. I understand there are chemistry and depth concerns that we'll eventually need to address, but IMO there's no reason we should be actively shopping him at this time.

[ExplosionsInDaSky]

The game switches and slows down in the playoffs. Keeping Noel and Okafor allows us to be so versatile it's scary.