Getty Head coach Doc Rivers and Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers watch from the sidelines during a 126-121 win over the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena on March 23, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.
It has been a difficult start to the season for the Philadelphia 76ers. Their 4-6 start has been largely criticized and several Sixers have already missed time. Doc Rivers met with reporters to provide some updates on each of the players’ statuses and revealed how the sickness issues are more widespread than has been let on.
Joel Embiid has missed the previous three games with a non-Covid illness. Danuel House Jr. also missed the previous loss to the Knicks due to sickness and was absent from practice Sunday morning. Rivers told reporters that a few members of the coaches and medical staff have also missed time with sickness in recent days.
Doc Rivers put chances of Joel Embiid playing tomorrow at 75%. He just wrapped up full-court work w/ staffers.
No House Jr. (illness) at prax. Rivers said medical staffers, coaches have been sick, too.
Harden’s been in a walking boot, away from team due to a personal matter.
Embiid’s Status
Following his brief time away from the team, Embiid is on the path back to the court. He made his return to the organization before the matchup with the Knicks and was listed as questionable leading up until game time. The superstar was ultimately held out after going through his pregame warmups and not looking like himself.
Joel Embiid warming up earlier. He has missed the Sixers’ last 2 games and is still listed as questionable on the NBA’s 6:30 injury report
Embiid made his return to practice today which is a major step in the right direction. He also stayed late to play some full-court pick-up in an effort to improve his conditioning. Following the loss to the Knicks, Rivers spoke on what a difficult balance it is of wanting Embiid to get back to peak shape while putting his recovery first. As he put it, “It’s tough for him to condition when you have a foot (injury). We do have things, you know with the pool and the Ultra G which you can run with no weight-bearing stuff, but first he has to get healthy enough to breathe from the flu. That’s why we just have to be very careful about this stretch coming up. Again, we’ve gotta think about the long game.”
This is the end of Joel Embiid’s post-practice 3×3 full-court game with members of the #Sixers player development staff. They were on the court for around 25 minutes. This is part of the All-Star center’s conditioning program.
Rivers is optimistic Embiid will suit up in the matchup with the Suns on Monday. When pinned down to put a percentage on it he labeled the odds at 75%.
Harden’s Status
The other notable star that is missing from the Sixers’ lineup is James Harden. The news broke this week that he suffered a right foot tendon sprain during the loss to the Washington Wizards. Following the official diagnosis, Rivers noted that it was better news than they initially feared. The month he will miss includes roughly 15 games, but it is worth noting the team plans to reevaluate him in two weeks to come up with a more precise timeline.
It also was revealed that he is in a boot at the moment and in the non-weight-bearing portion of his recovery. Harden has been with the team following the injury but missed practice today due to dealing with a personal family issue. Rivers also noted how finding ways to keep Harden’s fitness level high will be a focus considering how much work he has put in to ensure he was in shape this season.
Rivers says that Harden is in a boot and isn’t in a lot of pain, but also in a non-weight-bearing stage of his recovery. Says the big thing is conditioning, they want to try limit the amount of weight gain while he’s out.
The Sixers have a great deal of work to do this season but getting the team back to full health must be the first start. Hopefully, the illness does not spread any further within the Sixers organization and the injury recovery process is speedy and effective for each player.