Brett Brown has been through some stressful times during his two-years as Sixers head coach, but Jahlil Okafor’s arrival has him feeling rejuvenated.
Okafor is the third top three pick for the Sixers over the same span of time, but he’ll be the first to actually be in the lineup at the start of the regular season.
Amid reports that he’s unhappy as a Sixer, Okafor is already getting in early morning workouts.
“I get excited [about working with Okafor]. I come in the gym this morning at 6:30, and I see Jahlil in the gym sweating. And you come up to your office, and you have a new bounce to your step.”
Brown — who was an assistant in San Antonio for years — sees a lot of Tim Duncan in the rookie center.
“When I first got [to San Antonio], [Tim Duncan] was 276 pounds,” Brown remembers. “There was a phase where, probably in 2005-06, when he went overboard with his diet and really started paying attention to his body. And now you take it out, and he’s still playing at the level he’s playing and running the floor at 39.
Sam Hinkie has assets now, but Okafor has to be the untouchable at this point.