Sixers at the break

On the court

The 6-foot-11, 265-pound Jahlil Okafor is perhaps the NBA's most skilled rookie big man since the San Antonio Spurs drafted Tim Duncan first overall in 1997. The third overall pick out of Duke and Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns are the co-rookie scoring leaders, each with averages of 17.1 points per game. Okafor also ranks third in rebounding at an average of 7.4 per game.

Off the court

The Sixers suspended the 20-year-old Okafor in December following multiple nightclub fight incidents and a speeding incident on the Ben Franklin Bridge.

In the preseason, the Sixers were excited about unveiling their version of the Twin Towers, pairing 6-11 post players Nerlens Noel and Okafor.

Let's just say the experiment has been a failure thus far. So much so that in the long run one of them might have to go. The spacing is horrible when they are paired together on the court. And it's become increasingly obvious that each is better suited to play center.

Okafor's skill-set is off the charts for a man his size. Meanwhile, Noel is a rim protector who can run like someone half his size. To take advantage of Noel's rim protection, the Sixers have recently opted to start him at center and Okafor at power forward on defense. On offense, Noel slides to power forward, while Okafor plays the center spot.

That move has had mixed results.

Noel has a solid defensive presence at the rim, while Okafor has had a tough time guarding athletic power forwards. On offense, Noel looks out of sync at the forward spot.

Highly skilled and versatile Louisiana State freshman forward Ben Simmons is the leading candidate to be the Sixers' top pick, assuming they draft first overall. He is regarded by some as the best draft prospect since LeBron James.

Simmons is projected to go first. As a result, the Sixers will be out of luck without that pick. So Duke small forward Brandon Ingram, Oklahoma shooting guard Buddy Hield, California swingman Jaylen Brown, and Providence point guard Kris Dunn are some other options for the Sixers' first-round pick. Ingram, Brown, and Dunn are all underclassmen, so they could opt to remain in college. However, they are expected to apply for June's draft.

The Sixers will say all their personnel decisions are collaborative efforts. Maybe the discussions are collaborative. But league sources say that Jerry Colangelo has been making the final decisions since being named chairman of basketball operations in December.

And that makes sense, considering the moves that have been made since he was hired.

The Sixers hired Mike D'Antoni as the associate head coach on Dec. 17. D'Antoni has 12 years of head coaching experience with the Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks, and Los Angeles Lakers. He also is someone Colangelo trusts to be his eyes and ears when he is more than 2,000 miles away in Phoenix.

Another decision that had Colangelo's finger prints all over it was the reacquisition of point guard Ish Smith on Dec. 24. The Sixers acquired Smith in a trade with the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for two future second-round picks.

Smith first came to the Sixers last February after being acquired off waivers. The team, however, chose not re-sign him after that season.

The Sixers can certainly move forward with Smith. They are 7-15 since Smith's return to the team after a record-breaking 1-30 start.

The Sixers need sign him to a deal once he becomes a free agent this summer. They can't afford to make the same mistake twice. Smith makes his teammates better and brings a swagger to the team that was missing the first 31 games.

He's also perfect for the pistol version of the pick-and-roll that D'Antoni brought from his other coaching stops.