PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Consensus says Jahlil Okafor will be the Rookie of the Year this season, which would give the Sixers their second winner in the last three seasons. Okafor has had some ups and downs for the Sixers this preseason, but overall has looked solid.

He can score in the post in ways much more creative than most players his age. That is something that scouts have marveled about for years with Okafor and he is living up to the billing.

Okafor's success in winning the award will come as a result of three things -- his role with the Sixers, his level of production and his potential.

LISTEN: Ray Boyd previews the Sixers season with Joe Giglio on SportsRadio 94WIP

Role:

One of the key's to winning Rookie of the Year is to play on a team that needs you. There may not be another team in the league that needs their top rookie more than the Sixers do. Great need equates to an increased role compared to other rookies that may be getting groomed into being their team's leader.

For example, Karl-Anthony Towns might very well be just as ready for the league as Okafor, but in Minnesota, there is already a top-scoring option in last year's Rookie of the Year, Andrew Wiggins.

Okafor will be the Sixers top scoring option this season.

When it comes to Rookie of the Year, this is the "Sixers Effect," meaning the lack of talent on the team, elevates the opportunity for a talented rookie (see MCW's Rookie of the Year campaign).

The youth on the team made Carter-Williams an instant leader and there is something about the way it appears for a rookie to already be a leader of his team. Okafor will assume that role on day one alongside his front-court mate, Nerlens Noel.

If Okafor comes in with a mind for leadership, he will already be off to a head start. There should not be a lack of leadership being that Okafor played for one of the game's premiere leaders in Mike Krzyzewski in college and has also been the best player on his team since he was a child. He appears to get along well with his teammates already.

The roster is also well catered to Okafor. The Sixers perimeter shooters, Robert Covington, Hollis Thompson, Nik Stauskas and Isaiah Canaan should space the floor well to allow Okafor plenty of room to work. Noel has also displayed a new offensive game this preseason that includes iso drives to the rim and mid range jumpers.

Brown has made it clear that Okafor's role is to be an anchor in the middle and the Sixers style of play in his few games shows that.

Production:

Let's face it, Rookie of the Year is a stat-driven award and the main stat that drives it is points per game. Okafor is going to score points, if for no other reason because there is no other proven consistent lead scorer on the roster.

Okafor has averaged just over 10 points per game in the preseason in just under 19 minutes. Brett Brown has admitted that he'd like to see Okafor playing in the low-mid thirties in minutes during the regular season.

He'll have the opportunities to produce and should do so. Okafor has always proven to be an efficient scorer and if that skill translates, he should have a strong opportunity to be the Sixers leading scorer.

What Okafor produces in points, mixed with a decent rebound per game average, should allow him to hold his top spot as the Rookie of the Year favorite.

Okafor will have to break the trend of guards and wings winning the award. The last big man to take home Rookie of the Year was Blake Griffin in 2010-11. Griffin averaged over 22 points per game and 12 rebounds per night that season.

While not impossible, Okafor may not produce on that scale. Fortunately for Okafor, he doesn't have a lot of wings and guards in his class that project to produce a ton for their team.

D'Angelo Russell, taken a pick before Okafor, might very well excel, but the odds of him putting up gaudy number with Kobe Bryant still on the roster are slim. Keep an eye on Emmanuel Mudiay in Denver who will play a big role right away for his team, has established veterans to help make him look better and who has shined in preseason play.

Potential:

Okafor is 19 years old and like many of his peers, is still growing into himself as a player and as a person. Does Okafor have weaknesses? Of course he does. He struggles against bigger defenders at time and he needs to improve on his conditioning, but it's misguided to think that those type of flaws are something that time cannot correct.

One of the greatest things Okafor can show to voters will be potential. Sure, he'll have games where scores 10 points and struggles with efficiency, but you know what? The Sixers don't play in the national spotlight EVER.

Okafor will have plenty of strong performances to balance out those weak ones and when it comes time to vote, all the voters will need to see are the solid averages that point to Okafor becoming one of the better big men in the game.

Another sign of potential would be if the Sixers win some games. Okafor would win a lot of favor if he winds up being the piece that take the Sixers from a sub-20 win team to a group that wins in the mid to high twenties, all the way up to dare I say -- 30 wins.

If Okafor can show that he is the piece that winds up pushing the Sixers toward something, the voters will notice.