Jahlil Okafor didn't enter the game as the Sixers played against the Miami Heat as he is reportedly about to be dealt to the Pelicans. The Sixers played without Jahlil Okafor and Joel Embiid, but still they were able to overcome the Miami Heat.
According to the Philly Voice, Sixers Head Coach Brett Brown said that he already talked to Jahlil Okafor before the game. He discussed the reason why the organization decided not to let him step on the floor due to the potential NBA trade.
Brown said that Okafor maturely understand the situation. The decision not to play Okafor is mainly to make things not too complicated for both parties, since as the NBA trade deadline is getting near and the rumors are also getting rampant.
Jahlil Okafor has been sitting in the NBA trade rumors in the past couple of months. Nerlens Noel was able to shout out his feelings about the Sixers logjam on big men, but it turns out that Jahlil Okafor would be the odd man out.
According to CBS Sports, the Sixers have failed on their experiment as they try to hold all their big men. With the emerging Joel Embiid, it is clear that the Sixers are now ready to release one of their big men to open up more playing time for the rest.
Jahlil Okafor has been the Sixers' main scorer last season, he played his rookie season with very impressive numbers. However, Okafor's defense is a liability, he had some troubles defending the post due to his height, teach and limited vertical.
The Philidephia 76ers are now utilizing Joel Embiid, though playing with monitored minutes, Embiid was able to show his skills and talents to lead the team every night. Coming off the bench is the paint-protector Nerlens Noel, he is known to be a good defender a potential Most Defensive Player candidate in the future.
On the other hand, Jahlil Okafor has just turned 21 last December, this means that he has plenty of room for improvement. Okafor had a current average of 11.6 points and 4.8 rebounds while coming off the bench, and he could be a great contributor to any of the teams including his rumored landing spot, the New Orleans Pelicans.