NEW YORK — 18 video games into the 2025-26 season, the Philadelphia 76ers are sitting at 10-8 following a win over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday. The document is strong when contemplating the accidents the workforce has endured to start the season, however a much bigger challenge, as soon as once more, is the absences of the workforce’s two stars.
By 18 video games, Joel Embiid has performed solely six video games as he’s working his means again from April surgical procedure on his left knee and is now additionally coping with a proper knee challenge. The Sixers are hoping to have the massive fella again sooner somewhat than later, however he has not performed since Nov. 8.
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Paul George was in a position to get on the ground within the win over the Nets, however that was simply his fourth recreation performed out of a potential 18. The trio of Embiid, George, and Tyrese Maxey has but to play in a recreation collectively. That’s not superb when contemplating they performed solely 18 video games within the 2024-25 season–finishing solely 15 of these video games.
For coach Nick Nurse, he is aware of he wants Embiid and George on the market for the Sixers to achieve their full potential, however there are greater considerations on his thoughts in the case of the damage bug.
“Properly, pay attention, I feel that, a bit bit like I mentioned a 12 months in the past, I feel that we’d like them to be the most effective model of ourselves,” Nurse mentioned earlier than the win over the Nets. “That is for certain. The priority ranges hit me, clearly, after they’re not taking part in, however now, after we’re lacking three or 4 different guys out of the rotation, proper? I feel we’re most likely fascinated by a nine-man rotation, and that is when it is getting a bit robust.”
To Nurse’s level, it is not simply the Embiid and George elements. The Sixers are additionally coping with accidents to Kelly Oubre Jr., VJ Edgecombe, and Trendon Watford. They only received Adem Bona again from a proper ankle sprain in opposition to Brooklyn, however then misplaced Andre Drummond to a proper knee sprain, in order that leaves the rotation skinny on a nightly foundation.
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“Once more, we’re plugging within the subsequent man, but it surely’s simply making us terrible skinny,” Nurse added. “It is working minutes up. It is doing lots of issues simply to sort of throughout the board. So not solely do we wish Joel and Paul again, we wish Kelly and VJ and we received Bona again tonight. We would like all the blokes again, for certain. I feel that sort of ranges it out for everyone.”
By way of Edgecombe, the rookie was placing in work pregame on the Barclays Middle so one has to imagine he’s near a return because the Sixers now put together to face the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday at residence.
“I feel once more, he is is getting on the court docket and getting some exercises in individually,” Nurse defined on Edgecombe. “He hasn’t carried out any workforce stuff but, however, I feel he is doing OK along with his on court docket exercises and hopefully trending upward rapidly.”
This text initially appeared on Sixers Wire: Nick Nurse addresses concern level for Sixers’ piling injuries
