Bobcats center Al Jefferson to miss Monday’s game against Bulls

It has been a surprisingly positive start to the season for the Charlotte Bobcats, as the team is 5-5 in their first 10 games, but that record has largely been accomplished without the services of big man Al Jefferson. Unfortunately for Charlotte, his absence will continue on Monday night when the Bobcats take on the Chicago Bulls.

After signing a massive, 3-year contract (for $41 million) in the off-season, Jefferson has battled an ankle injury that has limited him to only 3 games played this season. The 28-year-old big man has been reasonably productive in those appearance, averaging 15.0 points and 8.7 rebounds in 30.3 minutes per contest, but he hasn’t been his normally dominant self on offense, and that is troubling.

On one hand, it’s a great sign for Charlotte that they’ve been able to stay afloat in his absence, but on the other side of things, Jefferson has more miles than the typical 28-year-old center would have (he went to the NBA straight out of high school), and 631 career games can take a serious toll on a 6-foot-10, 290-pound man.

This could be the final time that Charlotte takes the court without Jefferson, but if the ankle injury continues to linger, that will be something else to worry about for fans of the Bobcats.