Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown acknowledged on Wednesday that rookie Jahlil Okafor has struggled since his altercation in Boston and subsequent suspension. Brown said that it would be "naive" to expect the big man to be unaffected by it, via the Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey:
"He's gone through a hell of a hard time," coach Brett Brown said. "I'm sure the hardest time of his life. To think that's not going to impact how you play in front of 18,000 people and go be on national TV again and go put yourself out there where you are scrutinized on your performance is quite naive, I think."
Okafor wouldn't call it a slump, but he's averaged 10.5 points and shot 31 percent over the four games he's played since the news of the fight two weeks ago. In fairness to him, he's played against teams with good defensive big men: the Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs, though Tim Duncan sat out in Monday's game.
