Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers gives an update on when James Harden and Joel Embiid will make a return to the roster as the team battles a string of injurie.
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Short-handed Philadelphia 76ers won 115-106 against the Brooklyn Nets in Ben Simmons’s infamous return to Philadelphia. Both James Harden and Joel Embiid were listed as inactive for the game. Embiid has appeared in 12 games for the 76ers, averaging 32.2 points, 10.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.8 blocks while shooting 52.1% overall and 27.1% on 3-pointers. While he is in the midst of a standout season, various ailments have sidelined him at times in 2022-23. Tyrese Maxey, who had a hot start two his season, broke his right foot and has been sidelined since. James Harden had not played an NBA game since November 3rd when he was diagnosed with a strained foot. The injury woes for the 76ers kept building up as they recently lost Joel Embiid to another early-season injury. The Sixers’ top three scorers have all suffered foot injuries in November. Doc Rivers seems to have a positive outlook on these injuries as the 76ers rolled past the Nets in Furkan Korkmaz’s return.
James Harden and Joel Embiid were the duo to watch when injuries hit the 76er’s starting lineup like a storm. Tobias Harris and Korkmaz were out, while Joel Embiid and James Harden found pace. As Harris and Korkmaz neared their return, Tyrese Maxey, James Harden, and Joel Embiid all found themselves struggling with foot injuries.
Doc Rivers said it could work out that Joel Embiid returns when James Harden returns. According to RIvers, James is hoping to return in early December. That would mean Joel Embiid will miss a week or week and a half or 2 weeks with a sprained foot. The 76ers would be in full health, hopefully in December. Philadelphia won 4-5 games with Joel Embiid found himself battling a foot injury. Hopefully, when the team resumes full force in December, they can continue their hot streak.
Rivers spoke about how his team is dealing with several injuries like Joel Embiid and how they stay ready to win at home and on the road. Rivers said, “You don’t worry about it. You get through it, and you try to sneak some wins out. Any win now for us is a big win, so we’ll try to get them. And we’ve got a whole lot of games left, so we know if we can get guys back, we’ll make a run. A lot of guys that don’t play or don’t play a lot of minutes will get a chance to play a lot of minutes.
According to Rivers, There will be a silver lining somewhere, even if it’s not sometimes one player. The 76ers have defeated the Brooklyn Nets, with Tobias Harris scoring 24 points as they improved to 9-8. Hopefully, when James Harden and Joel Embiid make their return in December, the 76ers will be healthy to show the league what they are capable of.
