Sixers' Joel Embiid, Shake Milton Set to Play vs. Pistons on Thursday

The Philadelphia 76ers have struggled to play at full strength so far this season. During the team's regular-season opener, they missed their starting point guard Ben Simmons as he was suspended for one game. They also played without Shake Milton as he's been dealing with an ankle sprain, which he suffered during training camp.

At this point, it's unclear when Simmons will return to the team. Although it seems things are moving in the right direction, and he's working on an eventual return, he's out due to personal reasons for the time being.

As for Milton, he's finally trending in the right direction. After missing the final two preseason games and sitting out for all four regular-season games so far, Milton finally found himself upgraded to questionable going into Thursday's matchup versus the Detroit Pistons.

Fortunately for the veteran guard, he'll make his regular-season debut on Thursday as he's been listed as available after going through shoot-around and pregame warmups.

In addition to having a lack of point guard depth, the Sixers have also seen their fair share of health issues at the center position as well. Joel Embiid, who's been dealing with knee soreness ever since the New Orleans Pelicans matchup, has been questionable for every game since the opener.

For the most part, he's looked good. However, on Tuesday night against the Knicks, Embiid had a rough outing. After going 2-7 from the field and looking physically out of it, Embiid was clearly affected by his knee during Tuesday's blowout loss.

However, his rough outing on Tuesday won't keep him off the court on Thursday night. Similar to Milton, Embiid went through shoot-around and pregame warmups and was deemed available to play afterward.

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

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