Brandon Apter (@bapter23), Managing Editor
Just one day after the Sixers double overtime loss to the Knicks, there is some more drama surrounding Jahlil Okafor and his fellow first rounder, Kristaps Porzingis. Okafor has the advantage between the two when it comes to the post, but Porzingis plays better defense and has a pretty reliable jumper. While Porzingis is on the floor during crunch time for the Knicks, Okafor spent the better part of yesterday’s loss on the bench as the game progressed into the fourth quarter, due to Ish Smith and Nerlens Noel quarterbacking an 18-point comeback effort to take a three-point lead only to lose in the second extra session.
While there are plenty of arguments as to who will become the better player in the long run, Okafor or Porzingis, Marc Berman of the New York Post reports that Philadelphia ownership wouldn’t have been happy with Sam Hinkie if he went with the Latvian center over Okafor at number three.
“It's hard to imagine that if new 76ers assistant coach Mike D’Antoni or new adviser Jerry Colangelo were in place last June, Philadelphia would have passed on 7-foor-3 Latvian Kristaps Porzingis with the third pick in the draft and let him slip to the Knicks. D’Antoni and Colangelo are noted sophisticates of the international game.
Sources have indicated Philly ownership was gung-ho on one of the Big 3 – Karl-Anthony Towns, Jahlil Okafor or D’Angelo Russell – because taking another unknown European project may not have sat well with a disenchanted fan base.”
During yesterday’s game, Okafor, though he didn’t play a minute after the third quarter, scored 20 points on 10-for-17 shooting while Porzingis had 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting to go along with 12 rebounds.
Whether or not the speculation or source is true, it is tough to believe that the Sixers, even with D’Antoni and Colangelo, would have gone with Porzingis. Okafor was a proven post scorer in college and in most everyone’s opinion, he was the best available at number three. Porzingis can no longer be a focus of what could have been though as the Sixers have their own “European project”, Dario Saric, reportedly joining the team next season.
