December 02, 2024
Nathan Ray Seebeck/Imagn Images
The Sixers will have to face red-hot Orlando Magic wing Franz Wagner twice in the week ahead.
The Sixers have a chance to use Saturday night's strong road win against the Detroit Pistons as a launching pad for the drastic turnaround many in Philadelphia have been hoping for, but it will not be easy: not only are the Sixers still being decimated by injuries, but they have a pair of games coming up this week against one of the best teams in the NBA.
As always, let's preview the week ahead for the Sixers, focusing on three games in the next five days:
It might be easier to run through a list of Sixers who do not have any injury concerns right now. But in any case, keep an eye out for updates on the following players over the next week:
• Joel Embiid missed the first nine games of the season between left knee injury management and a suspension, played in four out of five games and has missed the next four. For three of those, Embiid was listed as out with left knee injury management, but on Saturday, he also had a "personal reasons" designation. Embiid had swelling in his left knee after that four-out-of-five stretch; it is unclear what the timeline is on his return and if he will be limited in terms of availability once he is back on the floor.
• Paul George only missed three games over a 10-day span after suffering his second left knee bone bruise of the year, returning in Detroit. George appeared to have a Pistons player roll up on his right knee in the fourth quarter of that game and did not return afterwards, but his removal from the game was in line with the team's typical substitution patterns, he very well may have returned for the closing moments of the game should it have been close. The bigger focus: can George play in both ends of the team's upcoming back-to-back?
• Caleb Martin has missed his first two games of the season due to upper back soreness after a series of hard falls in a few games prior. The Sixers hope his absence has neared its end and will have provided Martin a chance to reset and look more like the player the Sixers felt compelled to sign to a four-year contract.
• Andre Drummond had only missed one game all season — an illness held him out of a game last month — before spraining his ankle after landing on the foot of former teammate Tobias Harris. It seems reasonable to assume Drummond will miss some time; whether that is days or weeks remains to be seen. Assuming Embiid's return is not immediate, Drummond's absence opens the door for rookie Adem Bona to see regular minutes.
[UPDATE: Drummond will miss this week's action due to his right ankle sprain and be evaluated over the weekend, the Sixers said Monday afternoon.]
• Kyle Lowry was diagnosed with a right hip strain about two weeks ago, when the Sixers said he would miss at least three games. He has now missed five contests. Lowry had a brilliant start to the season, making six out of every 10 three-point attempts during the first six games of the season, but became nearly incapable of scoring for the next seven contests as he experienced a shooting slump. His standing within the backcourt pecking order could be reevaluated at some point soon if he does not get back on the floor and turn things around quickly.
• Reggie Jackson has filled in for Lowry as the Sixers' backup point guard for much of the 38-year-old's absence, but Jackson missed the Pistons game with right knee soreness. Lowry, Jackson and two-way point guard Jeff Dowtin Jr. all being unavailable forced Sixers head coach Nick Nurse to run rookie Jared McCain at backup point guard, which may have helped him discover a path to crafting a winning rotation without Embiid predicated upon bench athleticism and versatility.
MORE: How Nurse can reshape rotation for the better
Another team which has been devastated by recent injuries, Charlotte will be a shell of itself when the Sixers come to town to face the Hornets on Tuesday night. A quick breakdown of all of the injuries they are dealing with:
• Former All-Star point guard LaMelo Ball is set to miss multiple weeks with a calf strain. Ball, 23, is averaging 31.1 points, 6.9 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 4.7 made threes per game in his fifth NBA season, looking like an adept offensive engine so far. Ball scored 38 points in an overtime loss in Philadelphia last month.
• Sixth-year versatile frontcourt player Grant Williams, who posted 17 points, four assists, two assists, three blocks and two steals against the Sixers in that game, has since torn his ACL. Williams, who might have been and intriguing trade target for the Sixers if not for Guerschon Yabusele's breakout, will miss the remainder of the season.
• Spark plug scorer Tre Mann, who has a very unique tie to Sixers lore, is out for multiple weeks due to disc irritation in his back. Mann has averaged 14.1 points per game off the bench this season while shooting 40 percent from beyond the arc, which would have been particularly useful for a team already missing Ball.
Stepping into larger roles will be second-year wing Brandon Miller, who is averaging 20.6 points per game as a sophomore but is not doing so efficiently, and another player with an interest connection to the Sixers: 30-year-old floor general Vasilije Micić, drafted by the Sixers No. 52 overall in the 2014 NBA Draft. The Sixers eventually traded the draft rights to Micić to Oklahoma City along with their 2025 top-six protected first-round pick to swap Al Horford's contract for Danny Green, and Micić came over to the NBA soon after.
MORE: Can Sixers keep 2025 first-rounder?
Despite losing third-year star Paolo Banchero after five brilliant games to open the season, this Orlando team is absolutely rolling thanks to one of the single best defenses in the NBA and an offense which has been kept afloat by its other young star forward, Franz Wagner. Wagner has assumed an enormous burden in Banchero's absence and taken it all in stride, averaging 26.6 points, 7.1 assists and 6.0 rebounds per contest in a 13-game stretch in which Orlando has emerged victorious 12 times.
The Magic are 15-7 right now, standing as the third-best team in the Eastern Conference behind the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers and reigning champion Boston Celtics. They will come to Philly for a pair of games this week, but they have a major showdown against the New York Knicks on Tuesday night in Orlando. A spot in the NBA Cup Knockout Rounds will be on the line, with the Magic and Knicks each 3-0 in Group Play so far.
Banchero will miss both of Orlando's games in Philadelphia this week, but Wagner and the Magic have shown they are more than capable of competing with anybody right now. These will be tough battles for the Sixers — especially the Friday night contest for which Orlando will have proper rest.
MORE: Stats and film breakdown of Saturday's win
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