Let the healing process began.
Philadelphia 76ers rookie Jahlil Okafor has been sidelined since February 28 with a torn meniscus in his right knee. Now, more than three weeks later, he has officially underwent surgery, per RealGM:
Jahlil Okafor underwent a successful arthroscopic procedure on Tuesday to address a slight tear of the meniscus in his right knee.
The minor procedure was performed by Dr. James Andrews of the Andrews Institute for Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine and Sixers Head Physician and Orthopedic Surgeon of the Rothman Institute at Jefferson Dr. Christopher Dodson.
Okafor will begin his rehabilitation program immediately under the guidance of Sixers Director Of Performance Research & Development Dr. David T. Martin.
This pretty much means that Okafor is done for the season. Only a few weeks of the NBA’s regular season remain, the Sixers are light years outside the Eastern Conference’s playoff picture and these meniscus injuries, depending on severity, seem to typically take at least six weeks to fully recover.
Other players have come back sooner (Russell Westbrook) in a pinch. But the Sixers aren’t in a pinch. They’re a statistically better team without Okafor on the court anyway, according to NBA.com, and there’s no sense risking the well-being of a 19-year-old cornerstone who is either a big part of this team’s future or a prime trade asset Philly will use to break up its frontcourt logjam over the offseason.
Fortunately for the Sixers, meniscus injuries aren’t considered death knells. They aren’t exactly minor, but they’re not on the same level as torn ACLs. Okafor’s game also isn’t predicated on Westbrook-like explosion or speed, so this injury, especially at his age, shouldn’t impact his ability to pick up where he left off next season.
