Doc Rivers provides a pessimistic update on the Sixers’ status

It’s been a rough start to the season for the Philadelphia 76ers. Their 4-6 start was largely criticized and several Sixers already lost time. Doc Rivers met with reporters to provide some updates on each of the players’ cases and revealed how the disease issues are spreading more than are allowed.

Joel Embiid has missed the previous three matches due to a non-Covid illness. Danielle House Jr. also missed the Knicks’ previous loss due to illness and missed training on Sunday morning. Rivers told reporters that few coaches and medical staff had lost time due to illness in recent days.

Embiid case

After his short time away from the team, Embiid is on his way back to the field. He returned to the organization before the match with the Knicks and was listed as suspect until match time. The star held out in the end after going through pre-match training and not looking like himself.

Embiid is back in practice today which is a huge step in the right direction. He also stayed up late to play some matches on the field in an effort to improve his conditioning. After the loss to the Knicks, Rivers spoke of the difficult balance of Embiid’s desire to return to his peak form while putting his recovery first. as such put it“It’s hard for him to cope when you have (injury) to his foot. We have things already, you know with the pool and Ultra G that you can run without weight-bearing things, but first he has to be healthy enough to breathe from the flu.” That’s why we just have to be very careful about this upcoming stretch. Again, we have to think about the long game.”

Rivers is optimistic Embiid will fit in with the Suns on Monday. When installed to put a percentage on it, he named the odds at 75%.

Harden’s case

Another notable star missing from the Sixers lineup is James Harden. News broke this week that he suffered a tendon sprain in his right foot during the loss to the Washington Wizards. After the official diagnosis, Rivers indicated that it was better news than they initially feared. The month he will miss includes approximately 15 games, but it’s worth noting that the team plans to reevaluate it in two weeks to come up with a more accurate schedule.

It has also been revealed that he is currently on alert and in the non-weight bearing part of his recovery. Harden was with the team after the injury but missed training today due to dealing with a personal family issue. Rivers also pointed out how to find ways to save Harden’s fitness level The focus will be on how much work he has done to ensure his fitness this season.

The Sixers have a great deal of work to do this season but getting the team back to full health should be the first start. We hope that the disease does not spread further within the Sixers organization and that recovery from injury is fast and efficient for every player.