Sixers Center Joel Embiid is Dealing With a Minor Setback

When the Philadelphia 76ers took the floor to face the Oklahoma City Thunder at home on Friday night, Sixers center Joel Embiid was seen wearing a shooting sleeve on his right arm.

Was it a style choice? Did Embiid wear the sleeve to pay homage to Sixers legend Allen Iverson?

No and no. It turns out, Embiid is dealing with a bit of a setback, and he isn't quite sure what it all stems from.

At some point this week, Embiid noticed some swelling in his wrist. When the Sixers center was at the team's canceled practice, which turned into a film session followed by a shootaround session on Thursday, Embiid had his wrist taped up.

Two nights later, he decided to play with the shooting sleeve. When the game concluded and Embiid wrapped up a 34-minute shift on Friday night, his arm was wrapped up with ice to decrease the swelling.

"It's pretty swollen," said Embiid during his postgame press conference. "I honestly don't know when it happened. I just woke up two days ago, and my whole hand was pretty swollen.... I'm not sure what happened."

Perhaps, Embiid's swelling contributed to his shooting struggles against Oklahoma City. During his 30-plus minute shift, Embiid chucked up 25 shots. Just 32-percent of his attempts were successful. While Embiid isn't necessarily a sniper from three, he had a lousy night from beyond the arc, as well, as he went 1-7.

Embiid still led the Sixers in scoring with 25 points, but he struggled to get there. Considering he had somewhat of an off night and continues to deal with swelling, Embiid's status for the second night of their back to back against the Cleveland Cavaliers was unclear following Friday's game.

But no need to worry. According to the Sixers' Saturday afternoon injury report, Embiid is not listed. Therefore, he's slated to play in his sixth-straight game barring any unexpected setbacks before tip-off.

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

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