Joel Embiid’s injury updates for this week have been all over the place. He missed Wednesday night’s loss to Orlando, there’s a chance he could play on Friday against the Magic, and no, the 76ers haven’t thought about shutting down their All-Star center.
Embiid, a two-time scoring champion, has only played four games this season due to knee injuries and a suspension for pushing a sports writer. He hasn’t played since Nov. 20 and has missed the last six games, with the Sixers going 3-3 during his absence.
The 76ers and coach Nick Nurse often don’t know if Embiid will play until the day of the game. While the uncertainty around the 2023 NBA MVP’s availability causes some issues and drama for the team, Nurse said they won’t rest Embiid for an extended period to treat the ongoing problems with his surgically repaired left knee.
“We’re still trying to get him,” Nurse said, referring to getting Embiid back on the court.
Nurse mentioned that Embiid had a small workout earlier in the day.
“After a good workout, we need to see how it reacts,” Nurse said. “We go tomorrow again. As soon as it’s good enough to go, he’s going to go.”
The 76ers have a day off on Thursday, and Nurse said there’s a chance Embiid could return on Friday to play another game against the Magic.
Paul George, a nine-time All-Star who has missed most of the season with knee issues, also sat out against Orlando, a day after scoring a season-high 29 points. George made 10 of 16 shots, had eight assists, and played a season-high 37 minutes in a 110-104 victory against Charlotte.
“Heavy minutes for him last night,” Nurse said. “Got caught in a tough game.”
The 76ers had won two straight games for the first time this season, but then lost 106-102 to Orlando, falling to a 5-15 record. Only Washington has a worse record in the Eastern Conference.
The 76ers’ All-Star trio of Embiid, George, and Tyrese Maxey have only played one game and just over six minutes together this season.
“We’re going to hope that we’re going to get these guys together at the same time fairly shortly,” Nurse said. “Then we’ll start working on that continuity. It is difficult when guys are in-and-out and we’re trying to figure it out.”
The 76ers were also missing Andre Drummond (ankle) and Kyle Lowry (hip) against Orlando.
Maxey, who signed a five-year, $204 million extension in the offseason, has been carrying most of the scoring load in Embiid and George’s absence, leading the team with 25.5 points per game and playing 36 minutes a game.
Maxey couldn’t do it all on his own against Orlando, scoring just 16 points. He missed all seven of his three-point attempts, took only two free throws, and missed a late running three-pointer that could have tied the game.
“Tyrese certainly can’t do it all by himself, we know that,” Nurse said. “That becomes taxing. All those other guys have got to pitch in when they can.”
