Despite getting benched vs. Knicks, Jahlil Okafor making real improvements

Monday afternoon’s tilt between the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks was one of those games where there was just a whole heck of a lot going on. Ish Smith having a usage rate that would make Kobe blush? Check. Brett Brown giggling like a schoolgirl? Check.

Yet after all of the game’s twists and turns, I imagine most would point to one storyline: Jahlil Okafor, who scored 20 points (on 10-17 shooting) to go with 7 boards, 2, blocks, and 2 steals, subbed out of the game with 4:22 remaining in the third quarter and never returned. Take the two overtimes into account and that is a grand total of 26 minutes and 22 seconds of game action.

That’s a long time! And that’s an especially long time for someone who had arguably been the team’s best player up to the point he exited the game. So, how did Brown respond when CSN’s Molly French asked him why he decided to let Okafor ride the pine.

“Really difficult,” Brown told reporters at MSG. “But you looked on the floor and Ish and Nerlens had a thing going. We pick-and-rolled them, we got lobs, Ish made passes, [and] we sprinkled shooters around it.”

“When I kept looking over [at Jahlil], I feel like ‘Is it going to be his time?’ And I never really felt like it was. And I kept looking over there and he was an amazing teammate, first person off the bench and encouraging Nerlens.”

So, there is an explanation. Overall, Okafor has been very improved since returning to the lineup after missing two games with knee soreness right after Christmas. Take a look look at how much better the team is playing with him in the lineup on both ends, per NBA.com:

These are good signs. Okafor still has some obvious weaknesses and one ten-game stretch does not a player make, but at the same time there is a chance we are seeing him evolve from a very rocky start. Sam Hinkie spoke about how early it still is in Okafor’s career just last week.

“We talked a lot about when Jahlil might draw his first double team,” Hinkie said. “Some folks in our office took odds on that, it turned out that it was opening night. But then there’s still a lot to learn. He’s remarkably gifted and has a lot of things that he has to get better at.”

Christmas was when the Sixers acquired Ish Smith in a trade with New Orleans, and the lightning quick guard has certainly helped the big fella figure a few things out.

Let’s show an example of the trade benefitting Okafor. One of the actions that the Sixers frequently run with Smith and Okafor is a side pick-and-roll. And the way that most teams defend that play is by “Icing” (or “downing”) the screen. Basically, the point guard (Jose Calderon) positions himself parallel with Smith and forces baseline. The big man (Robin Lopez) leaves Okafor to show Smith a body in front of the rim somewhere above the block.

All pick-and-roll coverages surrender something, and this one gives up midrange jumpers (or catches in the midrange area) to big guys. While it’s not a high-percentage play in general (and even less so with a non-shooter like Okafor), Smith generally makes the pass on time and it’s a good way to get the rookie touches within the flow of the offense.

It’s still not perfect, but Okafor has some options when he catches the ball at the foul line. He can catch and shoot, dribble into a floater, dribble into a post-up, or pass the ball somewhere else. The hope is that as he becomes more seasoned, Okafor will be able to do all of those things and do them quickly.

And it’s not like Okafor hasn’t already flashed improvement. Check out how his shooting percentages have jumped since Ishmas, per NBA.com.

By now, it’s established that Okafor has been playing better as of late and he continued to do that on Monday against the Knicks. But Brown’s reasoning for not reinserting the rookie back into the game late was simple: The Sixers were playing better without him. When Okafor left the game, they were trailing by 12 points and stood at a minus-seven for the third quarter. Eight minutes later, the deficit was only two. #analytics

Replace Okafor or Nerlens Noel with a shooter and Smith’s driving lanes go from a narrow city street to six-lane highway. There are ways that Smith, Noel, and three shooters can attack a defense that the Sixers won’t really even try when Okafor shares the floor with Noel. Like this:

Spacing is a big deal, and Noel held up his end of the bargain defensively at center. In the last 16 minutes of regulation after Okafor left the game, Noel recorded two steals and three blocks. Better offensive personnel and Noel handling the defensive burden with that group of players was why Brown sat Okafor.

What made the whole situation easier was that Okafor treated his benching like a professional. From Calkins Media’s Tom Moore:

“I was staying ready, but the guys had it rolling,” Okafor said. “They were playing phenomenal. Supporting them from the bench was a lot of fun."

While Okafor handled the benching well, I think it’s fair to question Brown’s decision to leave him out of the game. Playing Noel at the 5 brought the Sixers to within one contested Carmelo Anthony three-pointer of winning in regulation, but rolling with that same group in the extra periods seemed like a big ask. Noel logged just under 26 consecutive minutes of game action to close, a pretty crazy total.

The Sixers also couldn’t get the spread pick-and-roll game working in the second overtime. And with Smith as the team’s only shot creator, we saw a lot of ugly possessions. Hindsight is always 20/20, but bringing Okafor back into the game might have remedied that problem.

“It was a very difficult decision, but that group was rolling and I didn’t see any fatigue,” Brown told reporters. “And we rode them out.”

With the roster construction, small margin for error, and competing values (development vs. staying competitive/winning), Brown and the Sixers are going to be major targets for second-guessing this season. For now, though, they’re likely relieved that the third overall pick is starting to show some signs of life.

Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann