Tyrese Maxey, Shake Milton Feel for James Harden

James Harden's teammates react to his unfortunate injury update.

Lately, the Philadelphia 76ers’ healthy streak ended. After starting the year off with a clear injury report, the Sixers have lost several key players to setbacks over the last few games. 

Joel Embiid missed three of the last four matchups due to knee soreness and a non-COVID illness. De’Anthony Melton sat out of Wednesday night’s game against Washington due to lower-back stiffness.

During Wednesday’s game, two more Sixers suffered injuries. The veteran defensive standout Matisse Thybulle tweaked his ankle and was diagnosed with a sprain on Thursday. Meanwhile, the All-Star James Harden suffered a foot injury, which was diagnosed as a tendon strain.

Thybulle might return as early as Friday night for the New York Knicks matchup. Harden, on the other hand, is expected to be out for some time.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Harden could miss at least a month’s worth of time. Per a team official, Harden will be re-evaluated in approximately two weeks. Around then is when the Sixers might be able to offer more clarity on the guard’s timeline. 

The Feeling Around the Team

Over the summer, Harden worked hard on getting back to being his old self. As the star guard battled hamstring issues over the last two years, he looked forward to finally playing a full season in Philadelphia without dealing with any physical drawbacks.

Unfortunately, Harden will have to take some time off to recover early on in the year.

“It sucks to be out and to not be able to do what you love,” said Sixers guard Shake Milton. “Everybody reached out to him, just kind of checking on him. Then you gotta turn to getting ready to play tonight.”

“You feel for a guy like that who worked extremely hard this summer to get back to where he’s been in the past,” said Tyrese Maxey. “His pride to be that guy again, and he was becoming that. He was playing that way and was leading us as a leader and a basketball player. I feel for him. I texted him, and I’ll probably call later on today to check on him. You just pray for him and hope everything’s OK.” 

In nine games this season, Harden averaged 22 points while shooting 33 percent from deep. He scored over 30 points in two matchups, producing over 20 points in three others. In addition to scoring, Harden continued to thrive as a playmaker, as he averaged ten assists, collecting double-doubles in five of nine matchups this year. 

For the time being, the Sixers will have to adjust to his absence and step up in areas to help the team out momentarily as their best playmaker recovers.

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