76ers coach Brett Brown has Jahlil Okafor's back.
The second-year center has often been criticized for what is perceived as a lack of defensive effort. Okafor's detractors were perhaps the loudest they've been after Wednesday night's loss to the Miami Heat at AmericanAirlinesCQ Arena.
Barstool Sports posted a defensive clip from the game that showed Okafor basically standing still, exerting little to no effort. He didn't provide much resistance as Heat point guard Goran Dragic attempted a jump shot right in front of him. Then he was outrebounded by Heat swingman Rodney McGruder. McGruder then circled around Okafor before passing to center Hassan Whiteside, who scored right in front of the Sixers big man.
Okafor, who had a tough night guarding Whiteside, finished with six points on 3-for-11 shooting. He also had seven rebounds, one block and five turnovers in 22 minutes, 28 seconds.
"He is young and I think people sometimes have a hard time understanding how young he is," Brown said Wednesday night of the 21-year-old. "There were times you saw the offensive brilliance tonight. Other times, you realize he has a long way to go defensively.
"He has been fantastic. He wants to be coached and I think he is getting better."
