Two Sixers Stars Leave Spectators Believing They'll Sit vs. Nets
The Philadelphia 76ers are in Brooklyn, New York, for their preseason opener on Monday night. With a matchup against the Brooklyn Nets, the Sixers aren’t expected to play everybody.
Following Sunday afternoon’s final training camp session in Charleston, South Carolina, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers hinted that several players would get the night off on Monday.
One would assume that the team’s proven All-Stars would be among that group of absent players, as the preseason is typically an opportunity for young guys and roster bubble players to display their value while fighting for a spot in the rotation or on the team in general.
Rivers wasn’t sure who would miss Monday’s game when he addressed the media on Sunday afternoon, but James Harden and Joel Embiid’s post-practice shootaround on Monday made those in attendance believe that the two All-Stars are likely to sit against the Nets.
“As it approaches 1 PM, both Joel Embiid and James Harden are in the gym getting shots up nearly three hours after shootaround began this morning,” said ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. “Seems unlikely we will be seeing a full lineup for the 76ers tonight in Brooklyn against the Nets.”
Embiid and Harden don’t have much to prove to the Sixers in the regular season. Considering there are 15 All-Star appearances between the two starters, they aren’t fighting to earn minutes in the regular season as they’ll get plenty already.
The Sixers will ease Harden and Embiid into the 2022-2023 season instead. Following the 2022 playoff run, Harden was happy to enter the offseason injury-free. While he remains optimistic that his hamstring issues are behind him, Harden will likely take it easy in the preseason to avoid any setbacks.
As for Embiid, he finished the 2022 playoff run with three notable injuries, two of which required surgery to fix. Embiid’s healed and ready to compete without setbacks, but the Sixers won’t want to press their luck by having him play a ton of minutes in a few meaningless games.
The Sixers and the Nets are set to begin their preseason at 7:30 PM ET. on Monday. Each Sixers player’s individual playing status remains in the air as of now.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
