Joel Embiid, Zhaire Smith Listed as Questionable vs. Warriors

Injuries are not foreign to the Philadelphia 76ers. While their injury luck has been slightly better during the 2019-2020 season, they still have had their fair share of setbacks throughout the year. And lately, the injury report has had some notable names on it.

For the last three weeks, the Sixers haven't had their superstar center, Joel Embiid, healthy and available. As the All-Star big man attempted to block a shot while playing against Oklahoma City earlier this month, he quickly realized his finger was dislocated.

Embiid managed to wrap up the game after getting his finger popped back into place and taped up. But the Sixers weren't able to have him play a couple of nights later after multiple evaluations.

At that point, surgery was on the table for Embiid. After discussing and weighing out the options with hand specialists and the team's medical staff, Embiid opted for surgery. It has now been over two weeks since Embiid got his finger repaired, and he still hasn't returned.

Nobody should be shocked, considering the initial timeline after surgery was rumored to be about a month. However, it sounds like Embiid could be back as soon as Tuesday. Last week, Embiid was cleared for full-contact practice.

This week, he's still on the same track. According to a Sixers' spokesperson, the seven-footer could possibly get back on the court on Tuesday night against the Golden State Warriors. As Embiid's hand surgeon will be in attendance on Tuesday, she will help determine the final decision for the big man.

In other Sixers injury news, second-year shooting guard, Zhaire Smith's status is also in question for Tuesday. As the young reserve tweaked his ankle during his 2020 NBA debut on Saturday night, he never returned to the court.

On Monday, Smith was a no-go at practice. His diagnosis on Saturday night was an ankle sprain, and all details remain the same on Monday. There's a chance the former first-rounder gets a shot at redemption against the Warriors, but his status will remain up in the air until gameday.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_