New Orleans Pelicans center Jahlil Okafor left Sunday’s preseason game against the Chicago Bulls late in the fourth quarter with an injured right ankle.
Okafor underwent an X-ray on his right ankle and will have an MRI on Monday, a league source told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Okafor was seen in the arena concourse on crutches with his ankle heavily wrapped and packed in ice.
Okafor had eight points in 17 minutes on 4-of-7 shooting against the Bulls.
Okafor joined New Orleans in August as a free agent with a two-year deal that includes a team option in the second season. The Pelicans were Okafor’s third team since December, when Philadelphia traded him to Brooklyn.
Okafor, the third overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft, had worked over the summer to remake his jump shot and was to be given the opportunity to earn minutes with the Pelicans.
Okafor, 22, made the NBA’s All-Rookie team in 2016 before his role increasingly diminished with the 76ers, leading to the trade to the Nets. In limited minutes for the Nets, Okafor averaged 6.4 points per game. As a rookie with the Sixers in 2015-16, Okafor averaged 17.5 points and 7 rebounds.