Okafor sits again with knee injury
PHILADELPHIA >> Another 76ers injury situation, originally believed tame, has begun to take a familiar course. This time, it involves Jahlil Okafor. A year after first reporting a small issue with his right knee, and despite offseason surgery that the Sixers insisted was minor, Okafor has been unavailable for the last two games, including a 112-98 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks Monday.
A Sixers spokesman stressed that Okafor’s knee is no more than “sore,” that he will be evaluated by doctors and that there is no additional status update.
Not that the Sixers have formally hinted at the possibility, but if Okafor does not play again this year, he will have had both of his NBA seasons prematurely ended with the same knee soreness. Concern? “At times you don’t have him, you are always aware of it,” Brett Brown said. “I hear the question. But missing him on the court is what stands out to me the most. For me, I am just going to think about the game.”
Okafor did participate in some portion of the Sixers’ morning shootaround Monday. That was enough to give Brown encouragement that he would not be out for long.
“I don’t think so,” Brown said. “He was fine today going through shootaround. Same old, same old, that we’ve all heard for a long time: We are trying to err on the side of being smart. I can’t make it a perfect statement, but my gut says I don’t believe so.”
*** Short on big men, the Sixers promoted forwardcenter Shawn Long from the D-League’s Delaware 87ers.
Because the Sixers have four players unavailable for at least three games and also for the next two weeks, (Jerryd Bayless, Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and Tiago Splitter), they were permitted under an NBA “hardship” loophole to maintain a 16-man roster.
That means Splitter (calf) cannot be available for at least two more weeks.
The 6-9, 248-pound Long played at Louisiana-Lafayette. Undrafted, he signed with the Sixers in July. With Delaware, he was averaging 20.2 points, 11.1 rebounds and 1.33 blocked shots in 39 games. He was a 54 percent shooter.
“It kind of caught me off guard,” said Long, who signed a 10-day contract. “I wasn’t expecting it. I thought I was just coming up for a workout, but I was definitely thankful for the opportunity, and I plan on making the best of it.”
While he can play anywhere in the frontcourt, Long will be asked to fill in mostly at center while Okafor recovers. He played 15:23 Monday and provided 13 points and seven rebounds.
In some circles, Long, 24, was best remembered for his training camp tie-up that resulted in the broken foot that has kept Simmons out for the season.
“It was just unfortunate then,” Long said. “I just pray for him. He’s a great talent, a good guy, and I hope he comes back soon.”
*** While an intramural debate has raged in Philadelphia about whether Embiid or Dario Saric would make a better Rookie of the Year, Milwaukee coach Jason Kidd is the informal campaign manager for a thirdparty candidate: The Bucks’ Malcolm Brogdon.
The 6-5 guard from Virginia brought a 9.9-point scoring average into the Wells Fargo Center, behind only Embiid and Saric among NBA rookies. Monday, he shot 6-for-7 for 10 points.
“With health, Joel Embiid is going to be an All-Star in this league and has played at a very high level,” Kidd said. “I understand that he has played in 31 games, but it has been at a high level. But Malcolm at the end of the day, his numbers will speak the same.”
*** The Sixers have lost five of their last six, including their last two.
“What can I say?” Saric said. “We don’t have enough guys. We have five or six injuries. Tonight, we fell behind by 17 (at halftime) and tried to win the game. I don’t think that’s possible. These guys are real fighters. But you have to be in a close game, then try to win the game with heart.”
*** NOTES >> Bayless, already declared out for the season with a wrist injury that limited him to three games, is scheduled to have his cast removed Tuesday in New York … Gerald Henderson, who missed the previous two games with a hip injury, started Monday, played 17:17 and scored five points … Continuing to play through a hamstring injury, Richaun Holmes contributed nine rebounds … The Sixers will play their next four on the road, beginning Thursday night in Portland.