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Will Vegan Jahlil Okafor fare better than Carnivore Jahlil Okafor?

By Bret Stuter

PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 16: Head coach Brett Brown of the Philadelphia 76ers talks to Jahlil Okafor #8 in the first quarter against the Washington Wizards at Wells Fargo Center on November 16, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Wizards 109-102. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 16: Head coach Brett Brown of the Philadelphia 76ers talks to Jahlil Okafor #8 in the first quarter against the Washington Wizards at Wells Fargo Center on November 16, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Wizards 109-102. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor knee issues are plaguing the team and stunting the young center’s NBA career. Will a turn to Vegan help the young man get back on track?

Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor is still fighting soreness in his right knee. He has battled that injury since 2016, when a bruised knee was eventually diagnosed as a meniscus tear.  He had corrective surgery, and planned to return fully healthy in the 2016-2017 season.

Only he didn’t.  On one hand, he tried to get better. On the other hand, he worked hard to rehab. And ultimately, he pushed himself to get back to his rookie form. But that never happened. And as a result, the young center fell behind teammates progress.  And that knee continues to haunt Okafor, even to this day.

Time for cool change

Right now, Jahlil Okafor has decided that he must make changes in his life. Significant changes as to what he eats. As a result, he has embraced a Vegan diet, or so goes the story shared with CSNPhilly.com’s Matt Haughton:

"“It wasn’t easy. The first drastic change I made was my diet. I became a vegan. (At first) I didn’t jump full vegan. I gradually made my way to that. First I took out dairy. I took out steak and chicken and fish and then some of my favorites like cheese. All the other BS I was putting in my body I cut out.“The reason for doing that was so that I could become healthy. I read somewhere that dairy wasn’t inflammatory and my knee was always swelling up last season. I had no idea about that, so once I found that out, I cut out dairy. Now I’m a full-on vegan and I feel great. I’m gonna stick with it.”"

While it may seem insignificant to many, this is a huge effort by the young man to align himself with the team needs going forward.

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    • The news also caught the attention of FanSided’s Simon Smith, who considers Okafor’s diet selection one of the top five takeaways from the Philadelphia 76ers media day.

    Don’t discount the young center

    There are stories about trading Jahlil Okafor for next to nothing. Some fans push to cut the young man outright. But without knowing the health of that knee, there will not be any significant trade discussions.

    And that knee is still a huge question mark.

    But there is sign of hope on this matter now. That Vegan diet has accounted for a drop of 20 pounds (and going?!?!@).  But that is not all.  Less weight is less wear and tear on his knee, which is a good thing.  But his choice to abstain from dairy is an excellent decision to be proactive in his recovery.  Dairy, it seems, has a nasty side effect of triggering inflammation.  Since inflammation is never a good thing for an athlete, the omission of dairy is a huge step in the right direction.

    Trade rumors will haunt Okafor likely for the rest of his career

    Some argue that Jahlil Okafor is not suited for this team, and they may be right. But the 2015-2016 version of the young man was not asked to modify his play. He was given the reigns to the team and told “Score!”.  The 2016-2017 version of the young man was never right. His knee remained sore, and he was not quite right with the team all season. It was a tough year for centers. Joel Embiid played 31 games. Nerlens Noel exploded and was eventually dealt.  Jahlil Okafor kept his head down and tried to stay positive through all the trade rumors.

    His knee prevented him from succeeding on the Sixers. But that same knee has thwarted team efforts to relocate the young man to another team as well.  Until that knee is 100 percent healthy, Okafor will remain in limbo.

    Next: A way-too-early guess at the 76ers’ 2018-19 roster

    The only way for Jahlil Okafor to prove his knee is sound is to perform like a top NBA center once more. Even if it triggers an eventual trade, that is a positive direction from today.

    Trade rumors will never stop. And its unfortunate that so many include the young center who is trying to get his NBA career heading in the right direction.  He had a difficult rookie season, but since then has been a complete professional in the face of so much negative angst.  As such, I hope his knee heals and he shows a complete rebound in his trajectory this year. (pun intended)