Nets C Okafor primed for return to lineup Wednesday
The Brooklyn Nets expect to have recently acquired big man Jahlil Okafor in the lineup for their Wednesday game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Okafor was acquired from the Philadelphia 76ers on Dec. 7 and has played in just one game for the Nets -- a Dec. 15 loss to the Toronto Raptors. Brooklyn opted to sit the 22-year-old while he was working to get himself up to speed with his new organization.
"(Okafor has) been doing a phenomenal job of getting ready physically with our assistant coaches. Collectively, we feel like he's ready to get some minutes," Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said prior to Brooklyn's win over the Orlando Magic on Monday.
In his one game with Brooklyn, Okafor totaled 10 points and four rebounds in 23 minutes. The former No. 3 overall pick looked understandably rusty after the Sixers only used him in two of their first 23 games to begin the season. Okafor logged 22 minutes in Philadelphia's third game and saw just three minutes off the bench in a Nov. 7 matchup against the Utah Jazz.
"I've been working extremely hard," Okafor said. "Now that I'm playing on Wednesday, I'm very excited.
"From a basketball standpoint, (the time off) was difficult, but in the grand scheme of living life, it's not that bad. I'm in the NBA and I was able to work on my craft every day and get better, so I'm looking forward to playing."
In his NBA career, Okafor has averaged 14.5 points and 5.9 rebounds. He made the first-team All-NBA Rookie team in 2015 after averaging 17.5 points to lead the 76ers in scoring but saw his playing time decline rapidly with the rise of star center Joel Embiid.
"We'll build him up and evaluate where he is physically and game-wise. Like everyone, you've got to earn it with play," Atkinson said. "So let's see it in small doses, and hopefully build him up to bigger minutes."
--Field Level Media
