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Philadelphia 76ers: 6 Moves that botched ‘The Process’ rebuild

By Manolis Olandezos

Philadelphia 76ers (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Philadelphia 76ers (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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Philadelphia 76ers Jahlil Okafor (Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports) /

2. Drafting Jahlil Okafor (2015)

Sam Hinkie had drafted Nerlens Noel in 2013 and Joel Embiid in 2014. There was no way that Hinkie was going to use his first pick on a center for the third draft in a row, right? Wrong.

Philadelphia drafted Jahlil Okafor out of Duke with the third overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. Okafor was looked at as a safe and the right pick at No. 3 – just not in Philly. He had a good rookie season, averaging 17.5 points and 7 rebounds per game. Embiid emerged the next season and Okafor was benched.

Hinkie could have used the third pick and traded down to collect additional picks. He could have had Devin Booker or Miles Turner instead of Okafor. Heck, Hinkie could have then also drafted any of the following:

  • Kristaps Porzingis
  • Bobby Portis
  • Norman Powell
  • Kelly Oubre, Jr.
  • Terry Rozier

Imagine a 76ers squad with Joel Embiid and Devin Booker. It could have happened.