Jahlil Okafor isn’t holding back now that he is officially out of Philadelphia.
Addressing reporters on Monday, the Brooklyn Nets center admitted that he wasn’t in game shape and blamed his ex-team, the Philadelphia 76ers, for it.
“A lot of the guys are in midseason form, where I feel like I’m at the start of the season because I haven’t really played,” said Okafor, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “I have to catch up to a lot of guys.
“That’s why I’m happy I’m here with the actual NBA coaching staff that’s taking care of me every day,” he continued. “When I was in Philly I was figuring it out on my own. I had my own trainer [Rick Lewis] that I’ve been working with since eighth grade working me out. But it’s a different level when you’re actually working with an NBA staff.”
Indeed, Okafor had been glued to the bench by the Sixers (appearing in just two games for them this season for a total of 25 minutes) before he was mercifully traded to Brooklyn earlier this month. Many fellow NBA players were not pleased about the way Philly treated Okafor, and now the 22-year-old big man doesn’t have to be politically correct about his former team either.
