The Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers both added blue-chip prospects in the 2015 NBA Draft in D'Angelo Russell and Jahlil Okafor. But the presence of those young studs hasn't made any sort of difference in the win-loss column, with the Lakers sitting at 2-11 and the Sixers at 0-15.
Pretend we just traded Jahlil Okafor for D’Angelo Russell. What happens now?
The Lakers were thiiiis close to taking Okafor instead of Russell. What if that actually happened?
Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports
Both players have struggled in their own way. Russell hasn't gained the trust of Lakers head coach Byron Scott, who hasn't optimized Russell in an offense featuring a ball-dominant Kobe Bryant. Okafor has been producive in Philadelphia, but his defense needs a lot of work and the Sixers have been much better with him off the floor.
It’s far too early for either team to even consider giving up on these kids, but ESPN’s Chad Ford raised an interesting hypothetical in a chat with Kevin Pelton about the Sixers. Ford reported the Lakers were targeting Okafor until the 48 hours before the draft, when they switched to Russell.
How would each team look if the Lakers stuck to their guns and took Okafor?
Lakers
The idea of Okafor as the next great big man in Lakers history sounds great. Los Angeles has lacked that scoring presence down low since the departure of Pau Gasol.
Okafor has already shown the ability to be an excellent offensive player, even if the team results haven't been there for Philadelphia. Okafor is leading all rookies in scoring with 18.4 points per game, and while his 48 percent shooting isn't anything special, it's forgivable considering all the defensive attention he's garnering. Okafor likely wouldn't score that much in Los Angeles with Bryant, Jordan Clarkson, Lou Williams and Nick Young around to soak up possessions, but perhaps having that type of low-post presence would've implored Kobe to ditch some of his isolation post-ups in order to get the big man the ball.
Having Okafor setting up on the block would’ve helped the Lakers play inside-out more often, which would’ve then set up more open looks for those guards. Both Clarkson and Young are shooting brilliantly on catch-and-shoot three-pointers this season, so they’d be able to take advantage of all that attention on Okafor.
On the flip side, there's a good chance the Lakers' already-dreadful defense would've been even worse with Okafor. Even with a solid rim protector in Roy Hibbert on board and in the starting lineup, Los Angeles has one of the league's most porous defenses. Hibbert actually hasn't impacted the overall defense that much, but it's hard to imagine Okafor helping it in a good way (assuming Hibbert wasn't acquired) based on his work with the Sixers in the early going.
Scott’s lack of trust and patience with Russell has been apparent at times, so how would Scott handle Okafor’s defensive lapses? That could get ugly.
There also would’ve been the question of the long-term viability of an Okafor-Julius Randle frontcourt. Neither are particularly stout defenders. Even with improvement from both, it’s fair to wonder if that combination would’ve worked well enough to compete at a high level. Offensively, neither player stretches the floor, so Okafor would deal with the same problem that currently plagues him with Noel in Philly.
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Sixers
Russell seemed like such a natural fit because Philadelphia needed (and still needs) a franchise point guard in the worst way. T.J. McConnell has been a pleasant surprise as a fill-in and both Tony Wroten and Kendall Marshall will provide a boost when they return from injury, but let's be real: those guys aren't rotation players on a contending team.
With Russell on board, Brett Brown could’ve used the pace-and-space attack the team had last year as opposed to the slower group this year with Okafor. Philadelphia’s offense was the worst in the league last year (it’s even worse this year), but that was a function of a lack of talent to run the system. Turning over the keys of that system to a big-time prospect at point guard could’ve resulted in a more efficient group.
Russell’s talents have been stymied by whatever Scott is running in Los Angeles. Playing in a faster-paced offense with more opportunities to run pick-and-rolls, freelance and use his natural gifts as a playmaker would’ve allowed the young point guard to flourish faster.
This doesn’t mean everything would’ve been hunky-dory if Russell wound up in Philadelphia. There’s only so much a 19-year-old kid can do on a team that’s littered with fringe NBA players. Russell is not a transcendent player who can turn around the fortunes of a team in an instant.
Like Okafor is now, Russell would’ve received plenty of focus from opposing defenses as one of the top weapons in Philadelphia. He very well may have navigated the obstacles better there than he has in Angeles, but he would’ve still taken some lumps.
Russell also has a long ways to go defensively, and that wouldn’t change no matter where he ended up. Having a budding defensive star in Noel behind him would help clean up some mistakes, but there’s only so much a rim protector can do if the perimeter defense is porous.
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It’s still far too early to make any concrete judgments on these players just a month into their NBA careers. Adjustments and improvements will be made as they get more comfortable in the league.
That being said, Russell would’ve likely been a better fit in Philadelphia than he is in Los Angeles. The offense would’ve been catered to him, giving him more freedom than he has now. Perhaps things will change in Los Angeles once Bryant moves on and when a new coach is brought in, but Russell will have to make do for now in Scott’s system.
Things aren’t as clear with Okafor. He would’ve been a great offensive player regardless, but he also would’ve had his defensive issues either way. The current fit with Noel and hypothetical fit with Randle both present problems, although Noel can cover Okafor defensively in a way Randle can’t.
It’s a fun debate that means little right now, but if these teams’ situations don’t improve dramatically in the near future, perhaps this hypothetical discussion becomes more grounded in reality.
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