The Sixers have traded their D-League rights to guard J.P. Tokoto to Oklahoma City, tweets Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. He will play for the Oklahoma City Blue in the D-League. Philadelphia waived Tokoto on Monday after he averaged 3.2 points and 10.4 minutes of playing time in five preseason games. He was the 58th pick in June’s draft and signed a one-year, non-guaranteed minimum deal with the Sixers.
There’s more news out of Philadelphia:
- Injured point guard Tony Wroten is focused on returning to the court, not a possible extension, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The Sixers hope Wroten can be back in the lineup by December, but the fourth-year player tweeted “NOVEMBER” Friday night, indicating that he hopes to beat that timetable. Pompey says it appears unlikely that the Sixers will offer Wroten an extension before Monday’s deadline, which would make him a restricted free agent next summer. He would become unrestricted if the team doesn’t make a $3.2MM qualifying offer by June 30th. “I’m not really focused on that,” he said of the contract situation. “I’m focused on my rehab and helping my team get better on and off the court. That’s not even on my mind right now.”
- The addition of rookie center Jahlil Okafor has forced the Sixers to slow down their pace, writes Bob Ford of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The offensively gifted Okafor gives the Sixers a low-post weapon they didn’t have last season, but the team now has to wait for its big man to set up. Coach Brett Brown understands there will be an adjustment period as the team gets used to Okafor. “We’re going to experience some heartache over the next month. Everybody bunker in,” he said. “That’s a fact. We might draw one out and find a brilliant performance, but this is going to be a fist fight for a while. Let’s admit what’s going on right now.”
- With Okafor on board, Nerlens Noel has had to adjust to playing power forward, according to Bob Cooney of The Philadelphia Daily News. Even though Noel’s shooting range is limited, Cooney believes the move is going well so far. “I’ve definitely improved,” Noel said. “I’ve improved from last season, and it’s all about improving and getting better and better.” The Sixers exercised their team options Friday on Noel and two other players.
Over the long run, I just don’t see how Okafor and Noel can coexist. Noel is going to have a tough time keeping up with all the stretch fours in the league.
In a league that keeps getting smaller, the Sixers have taken centers in three straight drafts. They’re going to have to play a different style than most everyone else, and it’s either going to work because they can dominate the paint or it’s going to fail because they can’t guard all the stretch fours and fives.