The Philadelphia 76ers may already be staring at a depth problem before Sunday night even tips off.
The biggest issue starts with Joel Embiid, who is expected to sit out the second half of the back-to-back against the Detroit Pistons. He told the public he would not play both games this weekend, and after logging 36 minutes against the Milwaukee Bucks, a rest night on Sunday looks likely.
That would be manageable on its own. But the 76ers are also waiting on Jabari Walker, who exited Saturday’s win limping after what was described as a “tweaked” right knee.
He played 12 minutes off the bench before the setback, and there aren’t any additional details yet. Even if it turns out to be minor, the quick turnaround gives Walker little time to get ready.
That leaves Nick Nurse trying to patch together the center rotation on the fly.
The group has been thin from the start. Adem Bona entered training camp recovering from a foot injury and didn’t appear in the preseason, then made his regular-season debut to open the year.
Ariel Hukporti was supposed to help share the load with Bona, but he suffered an Achilles injury just minutes into his preseason debut. Tacko Fall has also been sidelined, missing the entire preseason and the first three games of the regular season, and he still has not returned to practice, which makes a Sunday debut look unlikely.
With those bodies unavailable, the Sixers have had to lean on Walker and LeBron James at the position. LeBron is expected back Sunday after sitting out, but Walker’s status now puts even more strain on the frontcourt. If he can’t go, Philadelphia would need more from Bona, more from LeBron, and possibly Dean Wade at the five if he’s available to finish off the back-to-back.
Walker had only seven total minutes going into Saturday, but the Sixers nearly doubled that against Milwaukee because they needed him in several spots with LeBron out. He finished with six points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal before leaving the game.
Philadelphia beat Milwaukee 127-116 and now turns around to face Detroit on Sunday night.
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