Updated at 6:41 p.m. -- Okafor has been ruled out and his status for Sunday's game is to be determined.
CHICAGO -- Jahlil Okafor is officially listed as "questionable" for Friday's game against the Bulls, but Brett Brown is not expecting him to suit up.
Okafor is suffering soreness after banging his right knee against Victor Oladipo in Wednesday's loss against the Thunder. He did not participate in shootaround Friday morning.
"I think if you made me guess right now, I think it's going to be doubtful that he plays," Brown said after shootaround. "We'll go through what we go through. He got whacked by Oladipo the other night and he was a bit sore yesterday. Today, we sat him and we'll judge it more tonight. But I'll be surprised if I say anything differently than that tonight."
Okafor has missed seven games this season because of right knee soreness. The Sixers have a jam-packed schedule coming up with four games in six days, and it doesn't let up after that -- but that won't be a factor in whether or not Okafor plays. His long-term health is still the top priority, even if it precludes him from getting into a routine.
"Forget the physical side or what a doctor may tell you," Brown said. "Just putting a head coaching hat on, any time you can get a team or a player -- and the players would say this louder than the coach -- into a routine, a rhythm, there's a system, there's a rhythm beat to somebody's cadence, it's not erratic, it's not just a rug pulled from them from time to time where they're not playing, finding consistency from that standpoint is harder."
If he does not play, Richaun Holmes and Shawn Long will be on the receiving end of increased minutes at the five spot. Both have been proving they can fill the void in the paint as of late (see story).
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"Fortunately for us, you've got Richaun showing that he can come in and get some things done," Brown said. "I'm excited in an inverted way to give Shawn Long another opportunity."
The Sixers could receive extra depth at center if Tiago Splitter is able to play this season. Splitter has been sidelined since last season and is currently on assignment with the Delaware 87ers in the D-League as part of his rehab.
Splitter has appeared in one game, scoring five points with three rebounds and two assists in 14 minutes. Brown praised Splitter's willingness to play in the Development League.
"I think that his fitness most stood out as the negative," Brown said. "I think the physicality that he does and what he does well -- he is an elite screen-setter, he is an elite roller, he's an elite passer -- you see hints of that again. But the fact does remain he hasn't played in 13 months."