CAMDEN, NJ — Ahead of the team’s post-practice media availability, it was announced that Sixers stars Joel Embiid and Paul George would not be available for the team’s season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday, Oct. 23.
The news is a mixed bag of surprise and predictability. While it certainly sounded—and for those of us at practice, looked—like Embiid was gearing up for the season opener, his scheduled ramp-up continues into the regular season in a move that will surely be uncontroversial.
According to the Sixers, Embiid is responding well to his individualized plan, and the former MVP is expected to ramp up his return to play activities this week. This includes scrimmaging, which head coach Nick Nurse mentioned after Monday’s practice was not yet a part of his regiment.
Embiid will not only miss Wednesday’s game but will also miss all games this week, which could include Sunday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers. Come Wednesday, Oct. 30, the Sixers will return home from a quick road trip after their season opener. The speculated expectation, as fluid as this situation is, is for Embiid to make his season debut at home against the Detroit Pistons in Tobias Harris’ return to Philadelphia.
Paul George’s absence is less surprising, though still disappointing for a franchise that looks to show off the fruit of their hotly debated offseason strategy.
The Sixers maintained that George is recovering well and that he is expected to ramp up on-court activities early this week. Unsurprising, he is listed as out for this Wednesday’s season opener against Milwaukee.
Jared McCain was also mentioned in the message the team sent to media members. In it, the team stated that McCain is recovering well and he too will continue to ramp up his on-court activities. One interesting note: McCain’s availability for Wednesday’s game is not yet determined. He will be reevaluated later this evening, and a decision will then be made.
