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Jahlil Okafor turns in a solid effort in Sixers debut

Sixers' top pick gives himself a C-minus in summer-league action, says he recognizes the need to play better.

SALT LAKE CITY - It was the most anticipated summer-league debut by a 76er since, well, Nerlens Noel's a year ago in Orlando. And like Noel, Jahlil Okafor supplied many reasons why Sixers fans should be oozing with optimism.

The 6-11, 270-pounder finished his professional debut with 20 points, nine rebounds and a pair of blocks last night. He shot 10-for-22 from the floor, but 7-for-11 in the second half in the team's 74-71 loss to the San Antonio Spurs in the opening game of the Utah Jazz Summer League.

Though he seemed a bit out of rhythm in the first half when he made only three of his 11 shots, Okafor seemed to find a comfort zone in the second. He scored eight points in the third quarter on 4-for-5 shooting and showed the fluid footwork and soft touch that defined him at Duke. In the fourth, he had a power layup, a dunk off a run-out and a nice tip-in, showcasing the variety of offensive skills the organization is hoping for from the player selected with the third overall pick of last month's draft.

The Sixers also did a better job of spreading the floor in the second half, so Okafor could go to work. And when he did get double-teamed, he made the right passes each time.

"Probably a C-minus," is how Okafor graded his performance. "I think I could have played better. I just got more comfortable. I haven't played a five-on-five since the national championship game [when Duke defeated Wisconsin]. I had to adjust, get some of the rust out. It's a process, and I'm excited about it, and, hopefully I can play better next game."

Defensively, Okafor wasn't spectacular, but was solid. For the most part, he kept his man in front of him, had good body angles and didn't allow for much penetration. That is probably how he is best going to defend in the NBA. Should he have to get his feet moving too much, problems could arise.

"I keep going back to that he's 19," said assistant Billy Lange, who is coaching the Sixers. "He's been coached for one year in college by a great coach [Mike Krzyzewski]. If he had played for two or three years in college, he would just keep getting better defensively. It's not for a lack of spirit, it's not for a lack of willingness, it's not for a lack of competitiveness. It's just from a lack of experience, that's all. I can understand why people may have had issues, but I haven't seen it as glaring as other people have.

"With every possession, he is going to grow and grow. He wants to win, he wants to please and his heart is so pure that he was probably pressing himself a little bit. But once he settled into the third quarter and we're drawing plays up for him, I thought he did really, really well."

Jordan McRae backed Okafor with 15 points, while Jerami Grant had 13 points to go with six rebounds. Point guard T.J. McConnell was solid with six points, seven rebounds and four assists, while Furkan Aldemir snared 11 boards.

But the main focus was, and will be during games here and then Las Vegas, about Okafor.

"Our goal is all the things that we stand on as an organization throughout the season," Lange said. "One is that he learns how to take care of his body. We have a huge commitment to sports science. I want him to learn, 'How do I recover after a game playing against NBA-level players?' Two, that he continues to improve defensively. We want to hang our hat on our defense. We want to represent the city of Philadelphia. He's going to be a big part of that. And the third thing is just development. Development will mean his offensive skills getting better. He's pretty good as he is, but getting better.

"Learning the NBA rules is going to be a part of his NBA development and learning the NBA pace, that's part of his NBA development. If he sticks to taking care of his body, sticks to improving defensively and we look to develop him in every way possible, I think it's a heck of a summer for him."

Summer notes

Former Sixer Casper Ware is on the San Antonio roster and scored 12 points . . . Jesse Morgan, who attended Olney and finished his college career at Temple following three years at Massachusetts, is on the Jazz roster. Morgan averaged 11.9 points in 27 games for the Owls . . . The Sixers play Boston tonight (5 p.m.) and Utah on Thursday (7 p.m.).

Blog: ph.ly/Sixerville