Jahlil Okafor Suspended After Hitting Heckler on Video Outside Boston Bar

Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor was suspended two games on Dec. 2 after video surfaced of him getting into a physical altercation with a heckler outside of a Boston nightclub in late November.

Jon Schuhmann of NBA.com provided a statement from the 76ers on the decision:

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Here's the Sixers' press release on Jahlil Okafor's 2-game suspension: pic.twitter.com/lSrmpvSbDp

— John Schuhmann (@johnschuhmann) December 2, 2015"

On Wednesday, TMZ Sports reported the NBA is still investigating the incident, as well as another altercation involving Okafor, "and have not decided if he'll face additional punishment from the league."

TMZ Sports provided a statement from a representative from the NBA: "Based on what we currently know, we support the 76ers' approach in this matter. The league office is continuing to investigate the events of that night."

"We will support him. He is ours. And we will move on," 76ers head coach Brett Brown said after the suspension was announced, per Bleacher Report's Howard Beck. "I don't look at it as [terrible]. It's a wake-up call," added Brown, per Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. 

Brown told reporters Okafor did not disclose the second incident in Boston to the team and is "embarrassed," according to Tom Moore of Calkins Media. 

Teammate Tony Wroten took to Twitter to support Okafor:

The NBA's disciplinary action comes on the heels of an incident that occurred after Philadelphia's 84-80 loss to the Boston Celtics on Nov. 25, which TMZ Sports captured footage of. The news outlet followed up with additional video of a second scuffle Okafor got into that night.

Okafor has played quite well under adverse on-court circumstances as an NBA rookie, but his behavior away from the hardwood in this instance is hardly what the Sixers hope to see from the potential face of their franchise.

Through 20 NBA games, Okafor is averaging 16.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.5 blocks while shooting 44.9 percent from the floor. 

After winning a national championship at Duke in his only season there, Okafor was chosen No. 3 overall in the 2015 NBA draft. The 19-year-old is as far removed from a winning culture as there is in the pros at the moment, tasked to be a catalyst for drastic change in Philly.

Since Philadelphia (1-21) is mired in a perpetual rebuilding project and appears to have a legitimate emerging star in Okafor on a horrendous roster, he must exercise better judgment. Otherwise the Sixers' plan to essentially tank and build with lottery draft picks will likely fail.

There are only two positives about Okafor's temporary ban: It's an early lesson for him in his career, and it will provide opportunities for other frontcourt players to contribute in different ways. Brown can experiment with Nerlens Noel at center and run smaller lineups if he so desires, and he can perhaps give rookie Christian Wood more minutes.