Status of Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, Danny Green
Injuries are definitely going to play a role in the Philadelphia 76ers’ season and they have already forced some of their key talents to miss games. Joel Embiid sat out his first game of the season on Monday night against the Portland Trail Blazers, as the All-Star center has been dealing with a right knee injury since opening night.
According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, Embiid underwent an MRI on his right knee over the weekend and the scan revealed no major concerns. This just seems to be a nagging injury that could force Joel Embiid to miss time here and there throughout the season as his knee flares up, but it is definitely a good sign that there is no structural damage in his knee.
As for Tobias Harris, he is expected to miss a handful of time as he entered the league’s health and safety protocols the other night. There has been no timetable laid out for Harris’ return to the court, but the 76ers are getting ready to be without their potential All-Star forward for at least a week or two.
After the Philadelphia 76ers victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night, Doc Rivers was asked about Tobias Harris and what he knew about the situation.
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“I don’t even know yet exactly. Honestly, it happened right before,” Rivers told reporters after the game. “We just met as coaches who to start, and I have yet to talk to Tobias. I’m gonna do that right after this and figure out what’s going on.”
As for those that stepped up in Harris’ absence the other night, both Seth Curry and Georges Niang seem to be moving forward with the “next man up” mentality for this team. If Harris is forced to miss more than a week’s worth of action for his team, both Curry and Niang will have to continue to step up both in the starting rotation and off-the-bench to provide some extra scoring for this team that already struggles to score at times.
Danny Green is another Sixers’ player currently dealing with some injury concerns, as the veteran wing left Monday night’s game against the Trail Blazers with left hamstring tightness. “I think his hamstring got tight,” Rivers said after the game. “I don’t know how bad. I was glad we took him out. He kept grabbing at it. It’s funny, I had someone already at the table when he grabbed it, and then he makes a 3 the next play, but the fact that he wanted to come out, Danny never wants to come out. So, I would say I’m a little concerned with that.”
While he is only averaging 6.6 points per game to begin the new season, Danny Green is an excellent two-way player for the 76ers and is kind of like the “glue” for this team. He does a little bit of everything to help them win and is a 3x champion in his own right, so losing Green for an extended period of time could really be detrimental for the Sixers.
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The Philadelphia 76ers have got off to a fast start this NBA season and are looking like one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference once again, but with a handful of injury concerns and Ben Simmons drama still hanging over their heads, it is going to be interesting to see if the 76ers can keep playin at a high-level.
