I just learned i have NBA league pass!
76ers are playing Embiid and Okafor together and they're reminding me of a young David Robinson and Tim Duncan. If they acquire a good PG, watch out. Simmons is going to make this squad a huge force.
Might just be rest but Okafor has looked really bad to start the season. Has 10 points on 14 shots through a game a half in limited minutes.
The next question is, how does he look next to Noel on the other hand? (that is if they have played together for significant stretches to be able to tell)
Noel is out with surgery for a few weeks. Okafor is on a 12 minute restriction and is clearly working through rust. He hasn't played in months.
He has 16 points, 7 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal and 1 assist in 31 minutes. He'll be fine.
To give the full stats he is 6-17 from the field and 4 turnovers. Shooting 33% as a big man will get you benched. I think it could be just rust also, but to act like he has played well is comical.
"Could be" rust? He hasn't played basketball since Feburary. That's over half a year. First because of shin soreness and then surgery on his knee. He missed all of training camp. He missed all of preseason. He's on a 12 minute restriction, because he hasn't jogged in 7 months. He hadn't even practiced with the team prior to his debut. Obviously he's rusty.
I'm just saying it was kind of weak to omit his 33% shooting and turnovers while listing his one assist. He hasn't played well. We obviously have different opinions on him though.
He and Embiid played a couple minutes tonight and it looked like it might actually work. Embiid can do enough outside the paint that it should be a far better pairing than Okafor/Noel last season. Okafor thinks the two of them can be dominant together long term: http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/243815/Jahlil-Okafor-Believes-He-And-Embiid-Can-Really-Dominate-Together
“I think it’s going to be exciting,” Embiid said. “We played a little bit together today in practice. We’re figuring out how to play with each other. It’s a process and we’ve got trust it.”
“I think once we figure it out, we can really dominate together,” Okafor said. “We were able to flirt with it again today. We accidentally keep ending up on the same team even though Coach keeps telling us to make sure we alternate. But we’re having fun. We’re trying to put some pressure on it because we want to play together.”
Two budding young big man stars. Should be interesting to see how that develops.
Question is, can they win a championship before they have to pay all these players? Given how they went all in to tank, its gotta be championship or bust. If you were to ask me, I'd rather be Minnesota than the Sixers.
The Sixers will have 5 1st rounders over the next 3 drafts which they are free to use or trade. The TWolves will have 2 or 3. Their traded 2018 pick (lottery protected through 2020) means they can't trade any 1st until 2022.
The Sixers have better cap space and the TWolves have to pay their young players sooner. I've listed the important young players on each team and how many season before they become RFAs and have to be paid.
Sixers: Noel (1), Embiid (2), Okafor (3), Simmons (4), Saric (4), Luwawu (4)
TWolves: Muhammad (1), Dieng (1), Wiggins (2), LaVine (2), Towns (3), Dunn (4)
So how are the TWolves better off?
For starters, the TWolves can effectively put a team on the court with guys at their natural position; whereas, the Sixers have 5 guys to play 2 positions and two positions with no player whatsoever.
TWolves - PG: Dunn, SG: LaVine, SF: Wiggins/Muhammad, PF: Towns, C: Dieng
Sixers - PG: ?, SG: Luwawu, SF: ?, PF: Simmons, Saric, C: Embiid, Noel, Okafor