When the Brooklyn Nets traded for Jahlil Okafor, he was expected to play a major role for the team especially given their need for a big man with his skill set. However, Okafor has only seen limited playing time so far and even received some DNP-CDs from head coach Kenny Atkinson.

While it can be thought of that his lack of court action is caused by his underwhelming play and performances during practices, the Nets head coach made it clear recently that those are not the reasons behind the situation. He cited the team’s need for shooters during games as the main reason for it, particularly when they fall behind early on.

Okafor has seen action in 21 games for the Nets so far and is averaging 6.2 points and 2.9 rebounds in 13.0 minutes per game. He has been a coming off the bench for them and is playing behind rookie Jarrett Allen and DeMarre Carroll when he fills in at the power forward position.

That could be concerning for him and his fans, but for now, Okafor can only take his Atkinson's words and believe that he will have his chance to showcase his skills consistently soon.

There is no doubt that Okafor is a talented player, and with the Nets trending toward the direction of becoming one of the bottom teams in the Eastern Conference again, he may just get the break he needs and play more as the season progresses. Should that happen, he will be able to increase his stock again and prove that he deserves to play at the highest level.