How 76ers Are Navigating Through Break With Injured Backcourt

After getting two days off following the win over the Utah Jazz on Sunday night, the Philadelphia 76ers returned to the court on Wednesday for a practice session.

Oddly, the Sixers have four days between games, as they don’t take on their next opponent until Friday. Therefore, they are using the next couple of days to work out some kinks, but it hasn’t been easy, considering the roster is currently shorthanded.

“We have a lot of injuries, unfortunately, so it’s not been exactly the way you’d want it,” said Sixers head coach Doc Rivers. “You know, you’d love to have Furk out. Matisse has a tweaked ankle, you’d like to have him out. The second unit, I think Shake’s the only guard in the whole unit. It does kind of create issues for that team.”

Although Joel Embiid’s been back in the mix with the Sixers after the All-Star missed a handful of games, Philadelphia’s backcourt has taken a significant hit lately. James Harden suffered a tendon strain two weeks ago and was reportedly expected to miss a month’s worth of time.

Recently, the veteran reserve Furkan Korkmaz was added to the injury list due to a knee effusion, and Matisse Thybulle barely participated in practice on Wednesday after tweaking his ankle in Sunday’s game, leaving Tyrese Maxey, De’Anthony Melton, and Shake Milton as the only guards available right now, making it difficult for the Sixers to find a rhythm with their backcourt.

“It’s a work in progress,” Rivers said regarding the offense. “Again, limited guard play. We know it’s going to be a sloppy, slower game right now, and you gotta go into the mode of winning and keeping it to where you need it. I thought the Utah game was played out perfectly. I really did. I just thought we don’t have the guards they have. Keep it close, win the game, and that’s what we’re going into with.”

As long as the Sixers are missing bodies in the backcourt, they’ll have a hard time hitting their stride in terms of finding consistency at the guard position. Better health will come with time, but for now, the Sixers are just focusing on what they can control before they resume their schedule.

“We got some running in today,” said Rivers when discussing what the team has been doing during the break away from games. “We got a lot of the in-game play stuff in today. Just working out, and we probably need some conditioning more. That’s what you worry about — four days off in the middle of the season, you play a team that’ll play today and have good rhythm — that’s what you really worry about because it is unusual.”

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.