Following a decorated freshman season at Duke, Okafor was drafted third overall by the Sixers and assumed starting center duties right away. While he flourished as the team’s top scoring threat in the frontcourt from the outset, off-court concerns dogged Okafor early in his rookie season. In just the first two months of the season, Okafor was involved in an altercation outside a nightclub, had a gun pulled on him in another altercation and was cited for driving 108 miles per hour. The collection of misdeeds resulted in the 76ers handing him a two-game suspension in early December, but Okafor seemed to respond well after that, both from a performance and maturity standpoint. He would go on to finish the campaign with averages of 17.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 30.0 minutes per game over 53 appearances before his season was cut short in March after he was diagnosed with a slight tear in his right meniscus. Okafor is healthy heading into his second season, but despite his impressive box-score contributions as a rookie, the jury remains out on his ability to be a difference maker on the defensive end. At 6-foot-11 and 275 pounds, Okafor is heftier than most centers, but lacks the athleticism to guard the perimeter or protect the rim. Moreover, he frequently didn’t mesh well with Nerlens Noel, a natural center who was often forced to play power forward due to Okafor’s inability to match up with stretch-four types. Things will get only more complicated for Sixers coach Brett Brown in 2016-17 when former No. 3 overall pick Joel Embiid joins the rotation following a two-year absence due to foot injury, making it likely that the organization will eventually have to deal away either Okafor or Noel to clear up the logjam down low. For now, the presence of Noel and Embiid along with the addition of top overall pick Ben Simmons, who is projected to start at power forward, could mean a slightly decreased role for Okafor in Year 2, though he should remain the team’s best low-post scorer whenever he’s on the floor.

After a successful college campaign at Duke University culminated in an NCAA title, Okafor was selected third overall in the 2015 NBA Draft by the 76ers, one year after they chose Joel Embiid at the same slot. During his lone collegiate season, the 19-year-old center averaged 17.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, 1.3 assists, and 0.8 steals in 30 minutes. Okafor completed 66 percent of his shots from the field and 51 percent of his free-throw attempts. Through a five-game stint at summer league, he averaged 16.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.8 blocks in 31 minutes per game, marred by his 45-percent mark from the field and 41-percent accuracy at the free-throw line. Okafor enters the league as an accomplished post player, and his solid footwork, soft touch, and opportunity on a non-playoff roster make him the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year. However, for all of his tantalizing box score stats, Okafor's struggles in summer league exposed a few fatal flaws, namely his lack of elite athleticism, below-the-rim presence, and inability to create necessary space against lengthy defenders. Coach Brett Brown requires peak physical condition from his players in order to run their up-tempo offense, and Okafor will have to match satisfy Brown's expectations if he's going to thrive in the league.