The Philadelphia 76ers' Grand Mishandling of Their Frontcourt
The abysmal handling of the Philadelphia 76ers’ frontcourt logjam is becoming increasingly noticeable.
With Joel Embiid breaking onto the scene this season, the absence of Nerlens Noel went almost unnoticed in some respects to begin the season. The Philadelphia 76ers were winning games at a marginally higher clip than last season, and Embiid’s excellence had, in a sense, cleared up the direction of their frontcourt just a bit.
Now, however, that dynamic is shifting back towards chaos — and it’s all due to the incredibly poor treatment of this situation, from the front office down to the coaching staff.
The Sixers are a team on the rise. There’s really no downplaying that narrative given the level of performance that Embiid has provided thus far, as well as the obvious upside of the 2017 NBA Draft.
With that said, there are still several things the organization as a whole must do to facilitate that ascension. There are still some very serious holes in the Sixers’ rotation, both talent-wise and from the standpoint of building a team culture.
Simmering emotions and a lack of continuity stemming from incidents such as Noel’s outburst a few nights ago certainly don’t help the latter.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Noel’s return and his well-reasoned discontent
The return of Nerlens Noel obviously sparked the problem, but the Sixers have gradually built towards this disaster all season. With Noel in the fold, Philadelphia now boasts three centers who hold starting value in the eyes of their peers. Boasting elite defensive prowess and with a future contract at stake, there’s clearly reason as to why Noel wants to be on the court — and reason why he should be.
If we’re comparing skill sets and the trend of today’s NBA, there’s a legitimate argument to be made in regards to Noel being the second best player on the Sixers’ roster. He’s a versatile post defender who can run the court in transition, and has established himself as the team’s premier rim protector outside of Embiid.
He’s a better rebounder than the likes of Jahlil Okafor, and brings about far fewer limitations on both sides of the basketball — even if Okafor is the more skilled scorer.
In short, Noel is being disrespected in a sense. The team laid a plethora of big men around him, and essentially moved him to the periphery of the rotation during his injury stint. Sure, he could’ve handled the situation better as he recovered, but that doesn’t change the simple fact that he deserves playing time — and is understandably upset.
Was Nerlens Noel's criticism of his playing time fair? #Sixers
— Aaron Johnson (@AJohnsonSports) December 17, 2016
There’s a bit of disconnect between the perceived value of players and where their talent level actually stands, which could very well be part of what’s causing Noel’s fallout. The team clearly doesn’t hold Noel in the same light as Okafor, or even Richaun Holmes given his commitment on the floor.
That, in and of itself, is a grand mistake.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
The misconception of how valuable (or good) Jahlil Okafor is
Part of the reason for Noel’s inability to gain playing time ties back to the 76ers’ apparent desire to hold onto Jahlil Okafor. While the fact that he didn’t separate himself from the team in the manner that Noel did is certainly an understandable backing, there’s one simple falsehood that Brett Brown — as well as possibly the front office — seems to be falling back on: Okafor is better than Noel.
When you throw draft stock and potential trade value away, there’s no reason as to why Okafor should be valued higher than Noel. From his two-way effort on the court to the problems he experienced off it last season, there’s nothing that Okafor has done to rightfully establish himself in a higher echelon than Noel in the Sixers’ big man hierarchy.
The offensive woes
Almost all of Okafor’s value is invested in his offense — and that hasn’t yet been up to par. As a throwback scorer in an evolving league, Okafor’s one-dimensional approach to the game continues to clog the Sixers’ rotation, especially when paired with Embiid.
Okafor scores almost entirely in isolation and post-up scenarios, something Mike O’Connor detailed in a recent piece for The Sixer Sense. While he’s certainly a gifted isolation scorer, he can be heavily limited in the scope of his production in the offense.
He forces Embiid out to the perimeter too much, and lacks the proficiency on the offensive boards or the ability as a passer to really contribute in other facets. It’s not uncommon to see Okafor dribble himself into a jam on the low block, and his necessitation for isolation touches continually takes away from more important aspects of the Sixers’ offense.
All in all, he’s just not as good as advertised in that department.
The inept defense
Okay, we all know this is a problem — and one the Sixers seem all too content in dealing with. Okafor is a god awful defensive player, and trying to shove him into these tall ball rotations over the likes of Dario Saric or Ersan Ilyasova has only made it worse.
He’s not quick enough to guard fours by any remote stretch, and lacks the awareness to successfully defend underneath the basket either. He gets lost on his assignments, and can commit ugly fouls around the basket at an irritatingly high clip.
Noel would, in theory, provide boosts in both that departments. He is a proven upper-level NBA defender, but is being forced to the bench behind someone who seems almost lackadaisical at times on that side of the ball.
Once again, it’s not hard to understand the frustration.
The over-valuing of Okafor’s talents
This all culminates in the fact that the organization as a whole is placing far too much value in Jah. He has shown brief flashes of offensive brilliancy in the past, but is overwhelmingly inconsistent as a whole.
Okafor is characterized more by his weaknesses than his strengths at this point, and that’s a massive concern. He was a highly coveted name upon entering the draft, and somebody that Sixers fans were understandably excited for entering last season.
That, however, can’t cloud the understanding of Jahlil’s game at this point. It doesn’t translate to the NBA all that well, and certainly doesn’t mesh with the frontcourt-heavy core the Sixers currently boast.
He was supposed to be a step up from Noel as a prospect — and he’s not. Nothing he has done on the court establishes that he’s better than Noel, and the continual treatment of him as such is disappointing.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
The front office’s stark lack of action early on
Even with the team’s desire to continuing rolling with Okafor, there’s still little reason as to why this problem isn’t already solved. While holding out for better offers is likely the reason behind no trade transpiring this offseason, the Sixers should have been actively searching out deals far more aggressively.
Given their lack of leverage, it’ll be difficult for Bryan Colangelo to pull out a deal for either big that actually matches their value. But that shouldn’t stand as a barrier to expediting the growth process of the team as a whole.
Team chemistry and complimentary pieces for Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons are more important than Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor at this point. If not both, at least one should be elsewhere, at the very least, to avoid the mess that this has devolved to.
The expletive-laced interview from Noel and inefficient tall ball rotations are the end result of a gravely mishandled situation, and that all starts in the front office.
While Sam Hinkie acquired the pieces, Philadelphia’s sudden move to replace him left Colangelo in somewhat of an awkward situation. A situation which, relative to his goals for the team, he hasn’t handled well.
Whether or not it’s entirely fair to lob the blame onto Colangelo is still debatable, but the fact remain concrete. Embiid, Okafor, and Noel shouldn’t be sharing the same roster at this stage in the campaign.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
How to solve the roster’s most pressing issue
The solution, at this point, is relatively simple in theory — make a trade.
Noel’s unquestioned discontent with the organization makes him somebody the team has to move at this point. Searching for deals leading up the deadline should bring no shortages of offers, and jumping on the best one — even if it doesn’t quite match in value — is best for the team moving forward.
With that said, there’s reason to believe dumping Okafor could help as well. Not only does his lack of two-way production and unbalanced play style bog down the rotation, but he could likely bring in far more value via trade.
In trading both, the Sixers could add some substantial improvements on the perimeter. In the process, they could also rid themselves of the ever-nagging question of how to budget their frontcourt playing time. Embiid could once again play his natural five position, and the team could thrust a well-deserving Richaun Holmes into the primary backup role.
The Sixers are in a rough situation, and have solely worsened it with their ensuing actions. Now, it’s time for Bryan Colangelo and company to right the ship.
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