NBA Playoffs: 76ers Missed Two Players at Practice Tuesday

The Philadelphia 76ers returned to the practice court on Tuesday afternoon for their first session since concluding the 2022-2023 NBA season. For the team’s final few games of the year, they approached matchups shorthanded to preserve health ahead of the playoff run.

During those games, the Sixers allowed their reserves to pick up some heavy minutes with starters and other key rotational players out of the mix. Unfortunately for a guy like Danuel House Jr., he suffered a minor foot injury during one of those two games.

When the Sixers practiced on Tuesday, House was not a participant. After the practice session, Rivers addressed House’s absence.

“He didn’t practice today,” said Rivers. “He hurt his foot in one of the two games, but I think he’ll be okay.”

During the final three games of the regular season, House averaged 27 minutes on the floor. He drained 41 percent of his shots, putting up 12 points per game. In addition to his scoring, House averaged three rebounds and two assists.

House wasn’t the only player to miss practice on Tuesday. According to Rivers, the veteran center Dewayne Dedmon was not a participant. As Rivers mentioned that was the case “just for today,” it seems the big man will be back on the floor for Wednesday’s practice.

House and Dedmon’s role in the playoffs is currently unclear. Considering the Sixers utilized a heavy dose of Paul Reed behind Joel Embiid down the stretch of the regular season, the chances of Dedmon carving out a role in the postseason is slim.

As for House, he could garner some low minutes as the rotation shrinks. Excluding the final three games of the season, House averaged 11 minutes on the floor in 16 games from March 1 and on. Either way, the reserve is an important depth piece for the 76ers’ postseason run.

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