I'm sure plenty of Sixers fans rolled their eyes at the Joel Embiid selection during the 2014 draft. After sitting through a year without Nerlens Noel, Embiid was set to miss an entire season himself. Little did we know, Embiid would need a second surgery on his injured foot, causing him to miss a second consecutive season. While Embiid has yet to speak a word to the media, the coverage on his recovery seems to be a lot more positive this year than last. During last season, it seemed that Joel's immaturity and work ethic were getting in the way of his recovery, but this year, he looks more than in shape, more muscular than ever and he's also seen as the first one on the court before most games, getting in some workouts with his teammates on the court. There's no doubting that Joel Embiid has a tremendous upside.
Though he played just one season at Kansas, Embiid made enough of an impression to warrant the third overall selection in 2014, despite being hurt. In 28 games for the Jayhawks, the seven-foot center averaged 11.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. Out of the three big men on the Sixers roster, Embiid is still considered to be the one with the best shot. Combine that with strong defense and you have yourself a franchise big man. If/when Embiid makes a return to the hard wood, the Sixers will have a decision to make with both Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel on the roster. The two have struggled to co-exist this season, despite recent stints of success, but if Embiid is ready to go, it will be interesting to see what happens. Here's a case for trading and keeping Noel and Okafor.
If Joel Embiid recovers, the Sixers should trade Jahlil Okafor and keep Nerlens Noel: This seems like the most logical decision. Let me first say that it would be silly to part ways with Okafor prior to seeing if Embiid can play, despite the potential additions of both Ben Simmons and Dario Saric. Jahlil is clearly the Sixers best offensive player, scoring 17.5 points per game to go along with 7.4 rebounds. Okafor's offensive ability is a proven commodity and we've seen that on more than one occasion, but his defense has raised concern. He wasn't a great rim protector in college and he hasn't shown much in his short time as rookie, but his transition defense and net protection will need to get better. It doesn't have to be perfect, but it needs to get better. Brett Brown prides himself on defense and it's only Okafor's first year in the league, so nothing is said and done by any means, but Jahlil could be expendable if his defense doesn't show improvement as the season rolls along. Okafor has about thirty pounds on Embiid, making him tougher to move on the block, but Joel makes up for that with his athletism and ability to create plays on the defensive end of the ball as well. With how this team seems to want to "run", it only feels right that Embiid and Noel stay with what they have to offer. With Noel and Embiid's combined athleticism and defense skills, that pairing just makes more sense.
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If Joel Embiid recovers, the Sixers should trade Nerlens Noel and keep Jahlil Okafor: Although this situation seems unlikely to happen, Philadelphia could move Noel, who wouldn't be at his natural spot if Embiid returns, Okafor stays and if Ben Simmons is selected in the first round. Joel Embiid likely won't be playing full minutes right off the bat if he recovers, so Okafor would likely hold that spot down with Simmons at the four until Embiid can play regularly and then it'd likely develop into a rotation at that center spot. Meanwhile, the power forward position hasn't been too kind to Nerlens Noel, as the second year player is struggling to find a comfort level with the mid-range game. He shoots 70 percent at the rim, but that drops to 36.1 percent from three to 10 feet out and 25 percent from 10 feet to three-point range. Okafor has shot 63.9 percent within three feet this season, 42.2 percent from three to 10 feet, 36.3 percent from 10-16 feet and 28.9 percent from 16 feet to the three-point area. The Sixers could find plenty of takers who have a need at the center position as Noel has proven that he can play in a fast-paced environment in the middle and contribute more than enough on the defensive end of things. Though Noel seems to have a more qualified skill-set for the Sixers "system" at this point, unless he can develop some sort of perimeter jump shot, he won't prove to be worth much with the number of big men the team could end up with in the long run. If the Sixers do part ways with Noel, they would still potentially have Okafor, Embiid and Simmons to man the front court, which isn't a bad thing at all.
If Joel Embiid recovers, the Sixers should keep both Okafor and Noel: If Joel Embiid makes a full recovery, it is difficult to say how much he will be able to play or contribute. He hasn't played a professional game since college, so it may make sense to hold on to both Noel and Okafor until the Embiid health situation is resolved. There isn't much of a point of dealing either of them for an unknown. That being said, if the Sixers draft Ben Simmons, Noel makes more sense in the system anyway. The Sixers want to run a fast-paced transition offense and despite Okafor's ability to be an effective offensive player, his abilities may not fit into the teams' plans moving forward. Let's make this clear though: Jahlil Okafor is an extremely talented player that is likely to have a very successful NBA career, which makes this possible decision all the more difficult if the Sixers end up with Simmons, Noel, Okafor and Embiid next season.
Brandon Apter (@bapter23), Managing Editor
