"When it first happened it was clear that his world was rocked in the biggest way, I'm assuming, of his sporting life," Sixers coach Brett Brown told Yahoo Sports. "You can see it in his eyes, his demeanor. His swagger got bumped around a little bit. We explained a lot. 'We all go through mistakes. Don't beat yourself up. You screwed up. We got people here that will help you. Time will pass.'
"I feel what I see now is a distant memory. It's taught all of us and I see him playing basketball again."
Okafor played well to start the season, even though the 76ers didn't win a single game in November. His off-court issues became public when TMZ published video of Okafor fighting outside a Boston nightclub after a loss to the Celtics on Nov. 25. Reports of three more incidents in Philadelphia followed: Okafor allegedly had a gun pulled on him during another fight; he was cited for speeding and reckless driving after going 108 mph on the Ben Franklin Bridge; and he was denied service at a bar after allegedly using a fake ID. After TMZ released another video of an altercation involving Okafor, the Sixers suspended him for two games on Dec. 2.
"I'm just learning from certain things you experience on and off the floor," Okafor said. "I'll just try to do better next time."
USA Basketball executive director and former Phoenix Suns CEO Jerry Colangelo, who recently joined the 76ers as chairman of basketball operations, has spoken to Okafor. Philadelphia is also considering adding veteran players to help their young locker room, and has spoken with Elton Brand, Shane Battier, Chuck Hayes and John Lucas III.
Okafor also has received mentoring from former and current NBA veterans.
"There are a lot of guys that I've been able to speak with and still speak to on just staying focused and being smart," Okafor told Yahoo Sports. "[The advice was], 'Obviously, we are in the NBA and we're going to have fun and things like that. Just be smart and learn from the mistakes.' "
Okafor struggled on the court following the initial fight in Boston. He averaged 10.5 points on 31.3 shooting from the field the next four games and served the two-game suspension. Brown believed those struggles had more to do with being "embarrassed" than opposing defenses.
"He was hurt. He knew he screwed up," Brown told Yahoo Sports. "That's not Jahlil Okafor. Jahlil is a good person. When you start talking to him you see it straight away. You want to hug him. He's a big Koala bear. He was on the national stage, he was embarrassed. Like all of us, you walk around looking at the floor for a week."
From Dec. 10-18, Okafor had a strong stretch, averaging 21.3 points and 8.3 rebounds. While Okafor has been hampered by left knee soreness of late, Brown believes he is back to playing stress-free and solid basketball.
"He looks straight up now. He's playing again," Brown told Yahoo Sports. "His health, fitness-wise is good. He has his knee [issue], but there is a bounce.
"He was not as cocky [after the Boston incident]. He was not as confident. Because he's a good person it got to him. Walking into arenas dealing with [national media]. I'm not proud of [the incidents], but he's moved on and we've moved on and you can see it reflective in his game."
Okafor can't erase what happened off the court, but he can continue to play well on it. He leads all rookies in scoring with 17.3 points per game and is third among rookies with 7.9 rebounds per game. He hopes to improve upon those numbers and win Rookie of the Year. The Sixers also have won two of their past three games after acquiring point guard Ish Smith.
"We've been doing a lot of losing, obviously," Okafor told Yahoo Sports. "Nobody in the locker room feels like losers. We know we're trying to rebuild. We are getting better every day. We're holding it together. We see the bigger picture."
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