James Harden, Several Sixers to Miss Preseason Opener vs. Celtics

The Philadelphia 76ers will not have all hands on deck for their preseason opener against the Boston Celtics.

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey, the Sixers will be without a handful of players on Sunday night due to reasons unknown.

James Harden, Joel Embiid, De’Anthony Melton, and Furkan Korkmaz are among the names who will get the night off. At the moment, it’s unclear if the Sixers will leave it at that or look to add some more names to the list as the day goes on.

Harden’s absence doesn’t come as a surprise. Not only is the ten-time All-Star guard hopeful for a trade away from the 76ers, but he got a late start with the team this offseason.

When the Sixers met for media day in Camden, New Jersey, last Monday, Harden was absent. He also didn’t travel with the team to Colorado for the first day of training camp.

By day two, Harden was present and participating in a limited capacity. After ramping up for a couple of days, Harden returned to practice in full for the final day out in Colorado and the session out in Boston on Saturday afternoon.

Despite his participation as of late, Harden will not suit up and play for the Sixers on Sunday. Neither will Embiid, who is likely getting a day of rest after ramping up the action over the last week.

The absences of the two reserves, Melton and Korkmaz, will have the biggest effect on the Sixers’ preseason plans. While Melton’s guaranteed a spot in the team’s rotation this season, the Sixers likely want to get a good look at how he performs in Nick Nurse’s system. Also, there’s a chance Melton could see extended playing time, depending on how the Harden saga plays out.

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As for Korkmaz, he’s a veteran prospect who needs all the minutes he can get in the preseason. As he fell out of the rotation last season, Korkmaz is searching for an opportunity to gain some consistent playing time throughout the year.