The Philadelphia 76ers are a big topic of conversation around the NBA right now for a lot of different reasons. Whether it is their 1-19 record or the fact that their tanking strategy doesn't seem to be working, there is always something with them. Recently there has been talk of the young players behaving badly off the court, namely Jahlil Okafor, but he reportedly isn't the only one that has had his off-the-court issues, as Nerlens Noel was fined about $25,000 during his first season in Philadelphia, according to Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News.
This wasn't Noel's rookie season in the NBA, because he didn't play a single game as he was recovering from a torn ACL he suffered at Kentucky, but the reported fines were for repeated tardiness and other violations. This makes Noel the third of the 76ers last three first round draft picks that they have had trouble with off the court.
Okafor has been in a couple of fights and was suspended for two games on Wednesday for his recent transgressions. Joel Embiid has yet to play a game for the 76ers, but there was a report that he has been insubordinate with trainers and the team has taken disciplinary action against him on several different occasions due to his poor workout habits and his lack of adhering to dietary restrictions.
The fact that the 76ers' last three first round picks have all been disciplined for off-the-court reasons points to a bigger problem within the organization. Since the Okafor situation has been unveiled, many people in the sports world have pointed to the fact that the structure of the organization has put these young players in an awful situation. Also, the fact that they are losing so much isn't helping these young kids who have known nothing but winning at the lower levels.
The 76ers have one player on their roster over the age of 25, and that is 32-year-old Carl Landry, who has yet to play a game this season. Because the team is so young, none of these young players have a veteran presence to lean on in tough situations, and at this point it has clearly had an impact as three of their youngest players have gotten into off-the-court trouble, whether it is with the team, the law or both. If this were a one-time thing with one player, then it would be hard to blame the Sixers, but the fact that they have had problems with their last three first round picks cannot be considered a coincidence at this point. Something in this organization needs to change, and it needs to change fast.
