Joel Embiid, Paul George both out for opening night vs. Bucks
Philadelphia 76ers via X
On the eve of the 76ers’ home opener against the Bucks, stars Joel Embiid and Paul George have been ruled out of Wednesday’s game.
Embiid and George join Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton on the inactive list. Jared McCain also remains questionable (bruising) heading into tomorrow and was only a partial participant in Monday’s practice.
Embiid being ruled out of Wednesday’s game should not come as much of a surprise. During training camp and preseason, it was reported that he had not been a full participant in practice and had not even competed in a single 5-on-5 scrimmage.
Embiid has been ruled out of games this week and will be re-evaluated over the weekend. This rules him out of Friday’s game at Toronto, but Sunday’s game at Indiana may still be in play.
It is unclear what exact injury Embiid is dealing with, but the best guess is that it involves the left knee that troubled him in the back half of last season. He did “look fine” at the Olympics, but it’s possible he may have reaggravated it. The Sixers say Embiid “is responding well to his individualized plan and is expected to ramp up his return-to-play activities this week, including scrimmaging.” While this is positive news, it does raise the question: “Why are they just ramping up now?” Hopefully, the Sixers are being cautious with his knee and will continue to be.
George has been 50/50 for the past week with a bone bruise in his left knee. The Sixers said he would be re-evaluated a day before Game 1, but it seemed predictable that they would rule him out and err on the side of caution.
George remains questionable for the remaining games this week and will be re-evaluated later. It’s possible he could play on Friday at Toronto, but it seems more likely he will return Sunday at Indiana, alongside Embiid.
Overall, this seems optimistic for George. Bone bruises are tough injuries and can sideline players for extended periods, but the 76ers appear to have dodged a bullet. A recovery time of a week and a half to two weeks is quick for this type of injury, especially considering George’s history with the left knee, which has troubled him for half a decade. “George is recovering well and is expected to ramp up on-court activities early this week,” the Sixers said.
Missing two of your three best players for what looks like the first two games can be detrimental, as the team may struggle to start the season strong. However, a glass-half-full outlook would suggest that this presents a great opportunity to focus on Tyrese Maxey and, hopefully, his progression. These games will be crucial, as it’s likely this will be a common occurrence throughout the season—Maxey leading the team in the absence of the other two stars. It will be interesting to see how he commands the team and how other players like Andre Drummond, Kelly Oubre, and Caleb Martin step up.
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Nate Tramdaks
Nate is a Sophomore at La Salle studying finance. He closely follows the 76ers, has co-hosted his own 76ers podcast in the past, and has been writing for Syracuse University Sports.
