Pacers Not Renewing Jahlil Okafor Contract Could Be a Mistake

The Indiana Pacers decided to let his 10-day contract expire.

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The Indiana Pacers decided to sign Jahlil Okafor to a 10-day contract prior to the All-Star break to give them some depth at center. They needed that depth while Myles Turner was missing games due to a cervical strain in his neck.

While Turner was out, that left Thomas Bryant as the only true center on the roster. Indiana decided to bring Okafor up from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants so he could provide emergency depth at center.

Okafor saw his first NBA action in over four years when he played at the end of the game against the New York Knicks. He played three minutes at the end of that blowout and had a rebound and an assist.

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With Turner healthy, the Pacers have decided to let Okafor's 10-day contract expire. That means that he will no longer be on their roster.

Fort Wayne has brought him back, so he'll still be with the organization in some capacity. Still, his time in the NBA appears to be over.

This could end up being a mistake for the Pacers to do. While they now have an open roster spot, they are now vulnerable in case there is another injury at that position.

The biggest issue for them is that there aren't any other good options in the buyout market for them to have a better center. While Okafor isn't great, whoever is in that spot shouldn't be playing much anyway.

Perhaps the Pacers are looking for someone with a little more shot-blocking skills. Okafor doesn't provide much defense.

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Now that Turner is back, the Pacers think they can start playing much better basketball. They took down the Grizzlies thanks to Turner's great shot-blocking and his ability to hit threes.

Okafor doesn't really provide either of those skills, but he's an excellent rebounder. The lack of rebounding is the biggest flaw that this roster has right now.

Perhaps the Pacers will decide to bring him back in a week or so if there aren't any better options out there.

In the G League, Okafor has been averaging 18.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game this season.

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