Jahlil Okafor sat out of Thursday’s practice with a right shin contusion that has sidelined him for the past two games. It has been less than a week since he played last Sunday, and he is itching to get back out on the court.
“It’s just frustrating, period, not being able to play,” he said following practice. “I want to be out there with my guys.”
Okafor suffered the injury during a collision with teammate Isaiah Canaan in the Sixers' Feb. 28 loss to the Magic in Orlando. Brett Brown listed him as “a day-to-day guy” for Friday’s matchup against the Heat.
“The games are really long when you’re not out there,” Okafor said. “The medical staff, they’re telling me not to play. I definitely could if I needed to, but if you know anything about the Sixers and the medical staff, they’re super cautious and super careful about us playing with any injuries or any types of pain. With 20 games left, they’re just being super careful.”
Brown felt Okafor’s absence in the Sixers' 119-99 loss to the Hornets Wednesday. Nerlens Noel, Robert Covington and Canaan tied for a team-high 17 points apiece. Okafor leads the Sixers with 17.5 points per game, along with 7.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks.
“You can more easily judge when you don’t have something. It stands out more as far as the level of importance,” Brown said. “Yes, Jahlil’s scoring is missed. It’s not like we have a bunch of go-to, what the NBA would call, scorers, bucket makers, shot makers. Jahlil can score, that is his main strength. ... Last night, we did miss Jahlil’s scoring abilities.”
Over these two games, losses to the Wizards and Hornets, Okafor has gained another perspective of the team. He has been able to pick up on plays and tendencies Brown often speaks of but he doesn’t always notice when he’s in the middle of the action.
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“The stuff coach always says that he sees, what he always comes to us in the locker room upset about, I get the opportunity to see that when I’m out there watching it,” Okafor said, continuing, “From my position in particular, he’s always telling me to set screens. For guys like Ish (Smith) and T.J. (McConnell) where guys usually go under, he’s trying to make me go over the screen. Carl Landry does a great job of that, so I’m able to see what he means, what he wants from me.”
Okafor would like to finish out the season on the court with his teammates. The Sixers have 21 games remaining in the regular season.