NBA Playoffs: Sixers Veteran Returns Ahead of Nets Series

The Philadelphia 76ers weren’t fully healthy when they began preparing for their first-round series against the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs. Following the team’s first practice session on Tuesday afternoon, head coach Doc Rivers revealed that two veterans sat out.

The veteran center Dewayne Dedmon missed the session. Danuel House Jr. did as well. While Rivers was confident that Dedmon would return to the practice court on Wednesday, he wasn’t as sure about House.

As it turned out, House needed more time off. After injuring his foot during one of the team’s two finales last week, House missed two-straight practices for the Sixers ahead of Game 1.

Fortunately, the veteran was back in the mix on Thursday. Following the Sixers’ third-straight practice session, Doc Rivers revealed that House was a participant.

It’s unclear how much of a role House will have in the postseason this year. While he was a key member of the Sixers’ rotation at the start of the 2022-2023 regular season, he started to struggle, which caused him to have an inconsistent role.

As the Sixers closed out the regular season, House started proving himself to be more valuable once again. From March 1 until the final outing, House averaged 14 minutes on the floor in 19 games. During that time, he averaged six points per game while draining 34 percent of his threes and 49 percent of his shots from the field.

Barring any setbacks, House should be healthy and available to play for the Sixers when they make their playoff debut on Saturday afternoon. As for the rest of the team, they remain healthy ahead of Game 1 as well.

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

SIXERS VS. NETS PREVIEW

76ers vs. Nets Schedule: The Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets will battle it out in the first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs. On Wednesday afternoon, the NBA announced the full series schedule, which begins on Saturday. READ MORE

James Harden’s Health: Before the regular season concluded, Sixers star guard James Harden was battling Achilles soreness, which forced him to miss a handful of games down the stretch of the year. Since preparation for the playoffs began, Doc Rivers addressed how Harden has looked. READ MORE

Complimenting the Enemy: The MVP race is a hot topic. As Joel Embiid could potentially win the award, Nets forward Mikal Bridges dished his thoughts on the state of the MVP race, claiming that Embiid should be the one to win it this season. READ MORE