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Philadelphia 76ers: Are the Sixers too loaded with talent?

By Mark Wilson

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - NOVEMBER 09: Jahil Okafor #8 of the Philadelphia 76ers dribbles the ball during the game against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on November 9, 2016 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - NOVEMBER 09: Jahil Okafor #8 of the Philadelphia 76ers dribbles the ball during the game against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on November 9, 2016 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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Brett Brown has said that Jahlil Okafor is out of the rotation for the Philadelphia 76ers. What solutions can free up playing time for others?

The Philadelphia 76ers are one of the few teams in the NBA who may have the problem of too much talent. Before Joel Embiid bursted on the scene last season, the team was in the hands of Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel.

However, times and agendas have changed in Philadelphia and Okafor may be on his way out.

The Sixers are loaded at the frontcourt position with Embiid, Richaun Holmes, Amir Johnson, Dario Saric and Robert Covington. Where does that leave Okafor? According to Brown, it leaves him as the odd man out. This is an issue many teams would love to have but for a young team like the Sixers, it’s becoming a problem.

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Remember last year when the team was looking to trade Noel? The deal was done but the Dallas Mavericks got the better end of that stick. Noel should have fetched far more than Justin Anderson, Andrew Bogut, and a highly protected first-round pick. Anderson has played well but he’s not the force that Noel is.

Now the Sixers have a starting lineup of Embiid, Ben Simmons, Jerryd Bayless, J.J.Redick, and Robert Covington. Solid players but it’s who on the bench that has fans worried.

The top pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, Markelle Fultz, is the sixth man and 2016-17 NBA Rookie of the Year runner-up Dario Saric is only playing 21 minutes per game. Backing up Simmons at PG is T.J. McConnell while Fultz gobbles up sloppy seconds behind Bayless.

The small forward spot is manned by Redick and Anderson and the PF position belongs to Covington and Saric.

But it’s the Center position that has caused the Sixers pains in the last two seasons.

Embiid is the clear leader here but his understudy is where the logjam starts. The job was Okafor’s to lose and somehow he lost it. The Sixers signed Amir Johnson this offseason to a $10 million deal but must have forgotten about Holmes in the process. With Holmes being injured to start the year, Brown has relied on the veteran presence of Johnson to back up Embiid.

Now Okafor is left out in the cold. This is where the Sixers need to make a trade but for whom and what is the question?

The roster is loaded at all positions unless they are willing to move more than Okafor in a deal. With the roster set, a deal for draft picks could be in play. But after what happened with the Mavericks and Noel they must come out with a better deal.

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The Philadelphia 76ers may be a young team full of hope but right now they are a team with entirely too much talent and not enough minutes.