Jahlil Okafor (Photo : Mitchell Leff | Getty Images Sport)
The Philadelphia 76ers will most likely finish with the league's worst record.
The team is hoping they can grab two top five picks in the 2016 NBA Draft but that depends on the LA Lakers bowing out of the top four. In any case, they will have at least a top 4 pick.The dilemma is that none of the projected top four picks will address their most urgent need: an elite point guard.
It would probably not be advisable as well to hinge their hopes on a rookie. If they pick Kris Dunn of Providence or Jamal Murray of Kentucky, it would be unfair to expect them to lead a team in the most congested position right off the bat.
The Sixers may have to trade for one, as the free agency market seems to tight. For some reason, the team is not sold on Ish Smith and they may actually lose him to a team that wants him, which would not be hard to find.
The good news for the Sixers is that Joel Embiid, someone who was predicted to become their best player, may finally make his debut.
The latest from Keith Pompey of Philly.com has mentioned that the former Kansas center is in Qatar for rehab and will take a few more weeks.
Pompey also mentioned about Jahlil Okafor's "uncertain future" with the Sixers. On any other team, a rookie center that turns in Okafor's numbers would merit his security.
"Okafor's scoring average ranks second behind Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (18.1) among rookies," Pompey noted. "He's also third in rebounding (7.0), fourth in blocks (1.15), and fifth in field-goal percentage (50.8 percent) in the rookie class."
However, Pompey notes that the Sixers have a unique case with all three of their biggest assets playing the same position. "Similar players, Okafor and Embiid are an unlikely pairing. They are both liabilities guarding athletic power forwards and chasing stretch fours on the perimeter. So the belief is that the Sixers may try to move Okafor this summer if Embiid is healthy. If he isn't, they have to decide between Okafor and Noel," Pompey noted.
Another new angle in the Sixers dilemma is the hiring of Mike D'Antoni as associate coach. The Sixers will employ a faster pace, as Bleacher Report noted.
"The uptempo style the Sixers have taken to, influenced by new associate coach Mike D'Antoni, seems to suit the pairing of Noel and Embiid better since Okafor is more of a plodding low-post player," B/R stated.
If Embiid makes a successful rehab, there is also Dario Saric, a projected stretch four, who would clog the frontline even more. The Sixers also covet Ben Simmons and are likely to draft him if they stay on track with the no.1 pick.
There would be many suitors for Okafor with teams like the Lakers who have two young point guards.
