Tyrese Maxey more concerned about his friend’s health than having Joel Embiid back on the court
Embiid has been "a little frustrated" by his latest absences tied to an injured right knee, Sixers coach Nick Nurse said.
Joel Embiid’s availability is either the NBA’s biggest mystery or the 76ers’ best-kept secret.
The 2023 MVP has missed the last seven games because of knee injuries. So what is his status for Tuesday’s matchup against the Orlando Magic at Xfinity Mobile Arena?
“The same as it was,” coach Nick Nurse said Monday, hours before Embiid was listed as questionable. “He’s still day to day.”
Embiid has missed the last six games because of soreness in his right knee. He also missed the Sixers’ 111-108 home loss to the Detroit Pistons on Nov. 9 because he doesn’t play on back-to-back nights as part of the rest and recovery plan for his left knee.
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The Sixers have said there’s no structural damage to his right knee. So what’s holding up his return?
“Just waiting for doctors to clear him,” Nurse said.
Asked if Embiid has been a full participant at practice, the coach said he was during Monday’s session. Nurse said the center is in good spirits despite being sidelined for two weeks.
“He’s a little frustrated about it,” the coach said. “But I think it was cognizant that he was feeling something there, and he immediately wanted to get it figured out.
“Like I said last night, he’s trying to do a lot of stuff to try to get back on the floor. So his spirits are good.”
The 7-foot-2, 280-pounder has missed 10 of the Sixers’ 16 games. He is averaging 19.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.5 blocks in 23.3 minutes.
The expectation was that Embiid would miss some time this season after arthroscopic surgery in his left knee in April. It was his second left-knee surgery in 14 months and third in nine years.
The plan was for Embiid sit out the second night of back-to-back games. He also wasn’t expected to play when there were fewer than two days of rest between games.
But now Embiid hasn’t played since Nov. 8, when he scored a season-high 29 points and posted six rebounds and four assists in a season-high 25 minutes, 57 seconds against the Toronto Raptors.
He has missed 64 games since the start of the 2023-24 season because of injuries. Embiid played in 39 games in 2023-24 and 19 games last season.
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“As a friend, you want him to be healthy and ready to play,” Tyrese Maxey said of Embiid. “You want him to be happy. As long as he’s happy, then I’m happy. That’s at the end of the day.
“Yes, basketball is our career, but life is life, you know what I’m saying? You only get one life. So you’ve got to live life to the fullest. And as long as people are happy, his family’s good, he’s good, and he can get on the basketball court as much as possible, I’m happy.”
But Embiid isn’t the only banged-up player on the Sixers’ roster.
Two other starters, Kelly Oubre Jr. (sprained left knee) and VJ Edgecombe (left calf tightness), and reserve center Adem Bona (sprained right ankle) will remain sidelined for Tuesday’s game. Paul George (sprained right ankle) and Maxey (sprained right shoulder) are listed as probable. However, Maxey downplayed his injury.
When asked about coping with the team’s injuries, Maxey said the Sixers have a good mentality about them this season.
“It’s just like whoever’s playing is playing, whoever is not is not,” he said, “and they’re going to cheer the teammates on.”
The standout point guard said he would love to have everyone available for all 82 regular-season games. Maxey knows that’s not possible.
“But you just have to have the next-man-up mentality,” he said, “and we move on from there.”
The Sixers (9-7) are focused on securing their first NBA Cup victory when they host the Magic.
They’re 0-2 in East Group B after a 114-105 loss to the Pistons on Nov. 14 at Little Caesars Arena. The Magic (10-8, 2-0) are tied with the Pistons for first place in the group.
The Sixers must find a way to contain Orlando forward Franz Wagner, who averages 23 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal. The 6-10, 230-pounder has scored in double figures in every game this season. He scored at least 20 points on 13 occasions, including a season-high 37 points Saturday in a 133-121 victory over the New York Knicks.
Orlando All-Star forward Paolo Banchero will miss his seventh consecutive game with a left groin strain. Speaking to the Orlando Sentinel on Sunday, Banchero said he’s “pretty close” but could not pinpoint when he would return.
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The Magic had their three-game winning streak snapped Sunday in a road loss to the Boston Celtics. Meanwhile, the Sixers are 5-7 after opening the season with four straight victories.
While the team has faded a little, Maxey has been one of the season’s elite players.
He scored a career-high 54 points to go with nine assists, five rebounds, three steals, and three blocks Thursday in a 123-114 overtime victory over the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. Maxey was second in the league in scoring before Monday’s games at 33.0 points per game, and seventh in assists at 7.8.
“I just want us to win,” Maxey said when asked if winning MVP was a goal. “If we win, and that comes with it, I’m happy. But I don’t really care. Like last night, we lost [to the Heat]. When I play well, and we lose, it doesn’t make me happy at all.
“But when I play bad, and we win, I’m extremely happy because at the end of the day … the wins mean more to me. Right now, we have nine wins. That means the most to me. It’s to keep stacking days, keep winning, keep getting better every single day, and keep leading this team.”