On paper, with all of their players healthy, the Philadelphia 76ers have the star power to win multiple playoff rounds. However, that hasn’t been the case over the past few years, and the latest Sixers injury updates shed only a greater light on the front office’s decision-making in the ‘Trust the Process‘ era.
Most recently, it was announced that both Joel Embiid and Paul George will be out of the Sixers’ upcoming game against the Orlando Magic. They will join a loaded injury report that also includes rookie VJ Edgecombe, Kelly Oubre, and Adem Bona.
Luckily for Philadelphia, recent updates show star player Tyrese Maxey is good to go after suffering a recent shoulder injury. Second-year guard Jared McCain is also available after missing time. Still, the availability of those two players doesn’t hide the fact that the franchise continues to battle with major injury concerns across its roster.
The 76ers have shown promise this season, specifically with Maxey leading the team. However, the fact that over a month into the season, they’ve only had one of their top contributors fully healthy raises some serious questions about what their future looks like.
Sixers Injury Updates Continue To Be Bad News
The news of Maxey’s status is good, but hardly a cause for concern, as he hasn’t missed a game this season and is carrying the team to a 9-7 record while averaging 33 points on a league-high 40.4 minutes per game.
He’s gotten help from Edgecombe, who is averaging 15.6 points, but a recent calf injury has now sidelined the rookie. Oubre’s also been solid, but he’s also expected to miss time with a knee injury.
In fact, Maxey, Quentin Grimes, and Jabari Walker are the three Sixers players who haven’t missed a game this season. Andre Drummond, Justin Edwards, and Trendon Watford have also been mostly healthy, but besides them, it’s been another year of star players sitting on the bench for Philadelphia.
Embiid is a whole other story. He’s played in just six games this year and will now continue to be out with his constant knee injury, despite participating in shootaround before the game. The center is second on the team in scoring, but the 76ers have seen more success with Embiid off the floor and Maxey leading the offense.
Philadelphia owes its ‘franchise player’ more than $180 million over the next three years, with a player option for $67 million in 2028-29. For a player who barely plays and is limited while on the court. His contract is becoming a serious issue that could start to affect the franchise’s future team building.
George is in the same boat. Only three appearances this year with a total of 40 points on 38.7% shooting. He’s owed a similar $150+ million over the next three seasons, but remains a futile option for the Sixers at this point.
The duo accounts for more than two-thirds of the team’s salary cap.
Depth Is The Biggest Question Now
It’s no longer a question of if Philadelphia can get back healthy; that option should be ruled out. They currently have more than 80% of their salary cap sidelined with injury, and specifically with Embiid and George, there’s no telling if they’ll ever get back on the court consistently.
“The 76ers haven’t played one game with their preferred starting lineup of Maxey, Embiid, George, Oubre and rookie VJ Edgecombe,” Tony Jones wrote for The Athletic. “Maxey has been heroic this season with his production, but how long can he produce with this kind of usage and playing load? George and Embiid need to start contributing to some of that heavy lifting if the Sixers are going to make a dent in the standings.”
With Oubre and Edgecombe now out, and McCain still slowly getting back into his rookie season form, the next question for the 76ers is about depth. The injuries will come, but does head coach Nick Nurse have enough on his bench to account for that?
“We have to plug in who we can plug in, and we have to do what we need to do,” Nurse said. “We have to start who’s next in line and figure out the matchups..Some of them work and some don’t. The ones that don’t work, we have to change them.”
The Sixers have backup options who’ve been decent in limited roles with the starters out. But after the team’s hot start to the year, they’ve lost seven of their last 12. It’s hard to see any of those reserve players elevating the team’s floor alongside Maxey, but it seems like they’ll be forced with that task while Embiid, George, and others remain out.
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