Emeka Okafor injury: Wizards’ center out indefinitely with herniated disc in neck

After a summer of small moves by the Wizards to calibrate the roster for a playoff run, Okafor’s injury could quickly throw the entire team out of sync. He’s arguably the most important defender on a great team defense and his absence could be the difference between a No. 6 seed and a sixth-straight trip to the lottery.

If there’s any good news, Okafor says he doesn’t need surgery. That puts him on plan for physical therapy, but the fickle nature of spine injuries makes this an ongoing issue. We’ve seen players try to hold off surgery before, only to give up when the pain became too much. Okafor needs to hope he’s not one of those guys.

The injury’s official diagnosis is a herniated C4 cervical disc and was revealed through an MRI after Okafor complained of neck pain.

The 30-year-old center was one of the few Wizards players able to stay healthy for the majority of last season, averaging 9.7 points and 8.8 rebounds in 79 games during his first season in Washington. His quote in the press release makes it seems likely that he’ll play in fewer games this year, though he is planning to play in the playoffs.