Sixers’ Drummond Day-To-Day With Right Knee Sprain
November 29: Drummond underwent an MRI on Saturday morning which revealed no structural damage, the Sixers announced (Twitter link via Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports). The veteran big man is feeling better today, per the team, and an official update will come at 4:00 pm CT.
Scotto reports (via Twitter) that Drummond is considered day-to-day.
November 28: Sixers center Andre Drummond sustained a right knee sprain in the first half of Friday’s game at Brooklyn and will not return, the team announced (Twitter link via Tony Jones of The Athletic).
According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter video link), the initial diagnosis on Drummond is a hyperextended knee, though he will almost certainly undergo additional testing to confirm that diagnosis and determine the severity of the injury.
Drummond appeared to be knocked off balance in the air by teammate Kyle Lowry as he was attempting to corral a defensive rebound. The 32-year-old was unable to put weight on his right leg, according to Jones (Twitter link), and had to be helped off the court, ultimately leaving in a wheelchair.
Second-year big man Adem Bona, who returned to action on Friday after missing the past five games with a right ankle sprain, started the second half with Drummond out, Jones adds (via Twitter).
It’s an unfortunate development for both Drummond and the 76ers, who also had Paul George back on Friday following a one-game absence due to his own right ankle sprain.
A two-time All-Star and four-time rebounding champion in the early portion of his career, Drummond opened the season playing a modest role for Philadelphia but had started each of the past eight games heading into Friday with Joel Embiid continuing to miss time with a sore right knee. Drummond averaged a double-double (10.9 points and 13.8 rebounds) over that stretch while also incorporating a three-point shot into his game — entering Friday, he was 9-of-22 (40.9%) from deep on the season.
Drummond, who is earning $5MM in the final year of his contract, will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. Bona, Dominick Barlow, Jabari Walker and Johni Broome are all candidates for more playing time with Drummond out.
Sixers Notes: Maxey, Embiid, George, Edgecombe
After they made a total of 60 combined appearances last season, availability has been an issue again this fall for Sixers stars Joel Embiid and Paul George, who have played in six and three games, respectively, and have yet to share the court.
However, as Tim Bontemps of ESPN writes, Embiid’s and George’s health issues haven’t been as devastating for Philadelphia this fall as they were last season, due in large part to the team’s increasingly dynamic backcourt. The 76ers used the No. 3 overall pick in June’s draft to add VJ Edgecombe to a group headlined by breakout star Tyrese Maxey.
“These guys give them the ability to move on from the Embiid and George era,” one Western Conference executive told Bontemps.
“It just looks like there is more energy,” an Eastern Conference exec added. “They may not be good enough, but it’s not just waiting around for Paul and Joel [to get healthy] like it’s been in the past.”
According to Bontemps, head coach Nick Nurse and the Sixers made more of an effort entering this season not to be so dependent on Embiid offensively. Maxey has become the club’s offensive engine and is thriving in that role, with career-high averages of 32.2 points and 7.5 assists per game through 17 contests. His shooting percentages (.470/.409/.878) are also above his career rates.
“He’s a legitimate first- or second-team All-NBA player now,” one East scout told ESPN. “Even with Embiid’s injury issues, they could still be in the conversation for a top-six spot in the East, because Maxey is really that good.”
Here’s more from Bontemps on the Sixers:
- While Embiid may no longer be the focal point of the Sixers’ present and future, he’s still an important part of the roster, Bontemps writes. One executive suggested the club will have to figure out how to maximize Embiid “in a strategic way” when he’s available this season, while a scout pointed out that Philadelphia still needs him on the other end of the court. “They’re not good enough defensively [without him],” that scout said. “That’s why I have a hard time believing in them.”
- Sources who spoke to Bontemps believe Embiid will get more comfortable as the season goes in with his surgically repaired left knee, but his current nine-game absence is related to soreness in his right knee, underscoring the fact that the Sixers can’t necessarily rely on having him on the floor with any consistency. And even when he is available, the increased pace of games could be a concern for the big man. “You look at where the league is heading, with the pace and the speed the game is being played,” a scout told Bontemps. “He was having trouble keeping up with it when he was healthy, let alone now.”
- There’s a belief among Bontemps’ sources that a healthy version of George would be an ideal fit alongside the team’s guards, even if he’s not as dynamic or explosive as he was earlier in his career. “He can be a floor-spacing [power forward],” an Eastern Conference scout said of George. “Better to not have him handling the ball as much anymore. You can run some pick-and-rolls with him as the screener to take advantage of his shooting and ability to attack mismatches. Will he accept that role? I’ll be curious to see.”
- Donovan Mitchell and peak Victor Oladipo were among the players that came up multiple times when scouts pointed to comparables for Edgecombe, according to Bontemps. “I didn’t think VJ would be as good as he’s been,” one scout admitted. “Yes, there’s imperfections, but if they keep pushing him — because he can do lots of different things — he will be a special player.” There’s also a sense that Edgecombe won’t have any problem coexisting with Maxey long-term. “Those guys are pretty good together,” a Western Conference scout told Bontemps. “They work well together because they can both do a bit of everything.”
Injury Notes: Giannis, AD, Bulls, Sixers
Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo has been listed as questionable for Friday’s game in New York, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Antetokounmpo is dealing with a strained left adductor, which is part of the groin.
The two-time MVP has missed the past four games — and most of a fifth — after suffering the injury on November 17 at Cleveland. Milwaukee lost all five games without its best player and has dropped six straight overall.
Antetokounmpo, who turns 31 years old on Dec. 6, was also considered questionable for Wednesday’s game in Miami before being ruled out. Head coach Doc Rivers said the nine-time All-NBA forward hasn’t experienced a setback, according to Nehm (Twitter link).
“No,” Rivers said. “I was not in favor (of him playing Wednesday). I was very happy we decided what we decided. I was very uncomfortable with it. He really wanted to push and that’s who Giannis is. I was very happy with our medical team today. They decided at the end of the day, let’s wait. … We just thought it was the right thing to do. We gotta protect him sometimes.”
We have more injury updates from around the NBA:
- As expected, Mavericks forward/center Anthony Davis is questionable for Friday’s matchup at the Lakers, as Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal relays (via Twitter). The star big man has missed the past 14 games with a left calf strain. Davis, who practiced on Wednesday, said it was “surprising” and “definitely tough” to see former head of basketball operations Nico Harrison get fired, but downplayed the trade chatter surrounding him in the wake of Harrison’s dismissal. “This is basketball,” Davis said, per Christian Clark of The Athletic. “This is what comes with it. I think everybody in their career has been involved in trade talks. Been traded. Or some type of move. That doesn’t affect me. I’ve been in trade talks for a while. My job is to do what I do on the floor. Play basketball. Try to lead this team. I do have an open line of communication with the front office. I’m just ready to get back on the floor.”
- The Bulls have a lengthy injury report ahead of Friday’s contest in Charlotte, notes Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic (Twitter link). Kevin Huerter (left pelvic contusion), Dalen Terry (left calf strain), Nikola Vucevic (right patellofemoral syndrome), Coby White (right calf strain injury management), and Patrick Williams (left wrist sprain) are all questionable, while Isaac Okoro is doubtful to suit up because of left lumbar radiculopathy.
- In addition to Kelly Oubre Jr. and Trendon Watford, who are sidelined with knee and adductor injuries, respectively, Sixers center Joel Embiid has been ruled out of his ninth consecutive game on Friday against Brooklyn due to right knee injury management (Twitter link via Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer). Rookie guard VJ Edgecombe (left calf tightness) is also out for the third straight game, while forward Paul George is questionable with a right ankle sprain. George was inactive for Tuesday’s 41-point loss to Orlando, though he did practice on Wednesday.
Sixers’ Watford Out At Least Two Weeks With Adductor Strain
An MRI has confirmed that Sixers forward Trendon Watford, who exited Tuesday’s loss to Orlando early, has a left adductor strain, the team announced today (Twitter link via Adam Aaronson of The Philly Voice).
Watford will be reevaluated in two weeks, which means he’ll miss at least Philadelphia’s next six games, starting with Friday’s contest in Brooklyn.
It will be the second injury absence this fall for Watford, who was also inactive for the first three games of the season due to a hamstring issue. Since making his 76ers debut, the 25-year-old has appeared in 14 consecutive games, making four starts and averaging 20.3 minutes per night as a regular part of the club’s rotation.
Watford, who signed a two-year, minimum-salary contract over the summer, has been a productive role player for Philadelphia in the early going, averaging 8.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game and posting an excellent .534/.389/.800 shooting line. Philadelphia has a +1.9 net rating during his 286 minutes of action and a -3.8 mark in the 540 minutes he hasn’t played.
Forwards Jabari Walker and Paul George (if he’s healthy) are the top candidates to take the minutes that Watford won’t play during the next couple weeks. George was out for Tuesday’s game due to a right ankle sprain, but practiced on Wednesday, per Aaronson (Twitter link), as did rookie guard VJ Edgecombe, who has missed the past two games due to left calf tightness.
Center Joel Embiid, out since November 8 due to right knee soreness, didn’t practice on Wednesday but did some individual strength and conditioning work, Aaronson adds.
Atlantic Notes: Queta, Ingram, George, Sixers
Celtics starting center Neemias Queta will sit out for the first time this season on Wednesday when the team faces the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons, Brian Robb of MassLive.com reports. Queta suffered a sprained left ankle in Sunday’s win over the Magic and did not practice on Tuesday.
Queta is averaging a career-high 9.3 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, and the Celtics are a far superior defensive team with him on the floor this year, Robb notes. Boston has allowed 25.7 fewer points per 100 possessions during his 402 minutes on the court.
Boston will have to rely on Xavier Tillman, Chris Boucher and Luka Garza at the center spot in his absence. Queta’s three-year, $7.2MM contract is only partially guaranteed for next season, but he has significantly outplayed that deal so far this season.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- Brandon Ingram kept shooting and the Raptors kept on winning. Ingram took 30 field goal attempts while scoring 37 points in an 11-point win over Cleveland on Monday. Toronto stretched its winning streak to eight games. “He’s a player, especially when he gets going, we as a team recognize that. We need that,” coach Darko Rajaković said, per Eric Koreen of The Athletic. “It’s good for us. At the same time, we’ve got to stay inside our principles and make good decisions, play with ball movement, finding him through that style of play as well.”
- Paul George sat out Tuesday’s game against the Magic after he experienced ankle soreness, coach Nick Nurse told the media, including The Athletic’s Tony Jones (Twitter link). George had originally been listed as probable. Nurse isn’t sure if the veteran forward will miss more than one game. He has played three games this month after returning from offseason knee surgery.
- On a related topic, Jones examines whether the Sixers have enough depth to overcome injuries. He concludes they don’t have enough quality bodies to compete, relative to the East’s top teams, who have dealt with their own injury issues. “Yeah, we have to do the best that we can,” Nurse said. “We have to plug in who we can plug in, and we have to do what we need to do. We have to start who’s next in line and figure out the matchups. We have to make decisions. Some of them work and some don’t. The ones that don’t work, we have to change them. We have our discussions, and we have to try and do what’s best for the group.”
Sixers Notes: Embiid, Edgecombe, George, McCain
While Sixers center Joel Embiid is said to be making progress, he continues to deal with soreness in his right knee. The seven-time All-Star missed his seventh straight game on Sunday vs. Miami, but head coach Nick Nurse is optimistic Embiid will return sooner rather than later.
“I think we’re trying to take the best care we can of him and get him out there,” Nurse said (Twitter link via Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer). “He wants to play. He’s being very diligent. … He’s doing a lot to try to get back on the floor. And I think it will be soon.
“I know this has been a long [process]. I think it will be soon, but just keep doing the right things, keep listening to what the doctors tell us.”
Here’s more from Philadelphia:
- The 76ers were also without VJ Edgecombe on Sunday, as the rookie guard experienced left calf tightness toward the end of Thursday’s victory at Milwaukee. Nurse said Edgecombe underwent imaging, which came back clean, and the No. 3 overall pick was held out Sunday for precautionary reasons, tweets Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports.
- After opening Sunday’s game as a starter, forward Paul George was brought off the bench for the second half. According to Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports (Twitter link), Nurse explained the decision afterward, stating that he was trying to keep George matched up with Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr., one of the early frontrunners for Sixth Man of the Year. George, a four-time All-Defensive member, was making his third appearance of the season following offseason knee surgery.
- The shorthanded Sixers lost Sunday’s contest, but one bright spot was second-year guard Jared McCain, observes Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports (Twitter link). McCain, who struggled to find his rhythm to open the season after missing extended time with knee and thumb injuries, played 26 minutes and scored 15 points — both marks were season highs.
Eastern Notes: Ivey, Pistons, George, Carter, Cavs
Playing in his first regular season game since January 1, Pistons guard Jaden Ivey made his season debut on Saturday in Milwaukee and helped his team pick up its 12th straight win by registering 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting in 15 minutes, writes Jamal Collier of ESPN.
Ivey said during his post-game media session that he “cherished the moment” to be back on the court after being sidelined due to a fractured left fibula last season and right knee surgery this fall. Ivey said he had “so much gratitude to be out there again,” and his head coach suggested the team reciprocated that feeling.
“We’re just happy to have him back,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff told reporters, including Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. “That’s the most important thing. For him to have that joy and competition and competing with his teammates, that was the most important thing for him out there. Obviously you see the way that he can impact the game at a high level. Fifteen minutes is hard to catch a rhythm sometimes but I thought he did all the things we needed him to do. This was just more celebration of his journey to get back out on the court and we were happy to be a part of it.”
All 13 Pistons who were active for the game saw the court in the 129-116 win over the Bucks, with 11 logging at least 13 minutes. Bickerstaff said after the victory that he’s going to try using a 12-man rotation going forward as he assesses Detroit’s best lineups and fits.
“We’re going to give guys opportunity, especially in the first half and see how the game progresses in the second half,” Bickerstaff said (Twitter link via Sankofa). “It may not always be easy but guys are going to have an opportunity because they’ve earned it.”
We have more from across the Eastern Conference:
- With the 14-2 Pistons sitting atop the Eastern Conference standings and well positioned from a salary cap perspective for in-season roster moves, Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link) evaluates whether it makes sense for them to try to make a major trade before February’s deadline. Gozlan ultimately concludes that Detroit is more likely to wait until the 2026 offseason to take a big swing.
- Sixers forward Paul George played well in his second game back from knee surgery on Thursday, contributing 21 points and five rebounds in 25 minutes of action. George’s conditioning still isn’t 100%, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, but he provides the team with some stability at the forward spot and said all the right things after the game about his role. “Listen, whatever it is, to make the game easy for No. 0,” George said, referring to Tyrese Maxey. “I’ve been saying he’s been doing a lot for us. He might not want to say it, but I know he’s tired. He’s got to be tired. So, you know, I’m just trying to make the game easy for him within the offense, play my game.”
- Starting center Wendell Carter Jr. has been an under-the-radar impact role player for the Magic so far this season, according to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel, who takes a look at the ways in which Carter is making the team better both offensively and defensively. “Both sides of the floor, (he has) a huge gravitation. Whether that’s rebounding, defensive position, I feel like that’s stuff that maybe goes unnoticed,” teammate Tristan Da Silva said of Carter, who is averaging 12.3 points and 7.4 rebounds per game on .530/.458/.797 shooting.
- Darius Garland (toe) and Jaylon Tyson (concussion) returned to the Cavaliers‘ lineup on Friday after missing five games apiece due to injuries and were on minutes restrictions of roughly 30 minutes, tweets Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. While the Cavs got some reinforcements in that game, they remain banged up as they prepare to host the Clippers on Sunday. Jarrett Allen (finger) will miss a second consecutive contest, while Craig Porter Jr. has been ruled out for the first time this season due to a left hamstring strain, per Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Eastern Notes: Mathurin, Embiid, George, Ivey, Risacher
The Pacers’ losing streak stretched to eight games on Monday but there was a silver lining in their loss to the red-hot Pistons, Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star points out. Bennedict Mathurin, who had missed 11 games due to a toe sprain, scored 23 of his 25 points in the second half.
Mathurin asserts that the team has the ability to turn things around.
“We’re 1-13 right now,” Mathurin said. “There’s teams in the NBA that have won 10 games in a row. Why can’t we be the team that wins 10 games in a row? It’s just about believing. It’s just about doing what’s right for our team. … People act like it’s the end of the world. If we were 1-57 I’d say maybe, but it’s 1-13. We’ve played 14 games. It’s not even 15% percent of the season, so I’m still positive, man.”
Center Isaiah Jackson feels the same way.
“I think energy is everything,” he said. “One guy gets going and it can give us a spark. I think that’s all you need. We’re just gonna continue to keep going.”
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- Joel Embiid is listed as doubtful due to right knee injury management for the Sixers’ game against Toronto on Wednesday, Adam Aaronson of The Philly Voice tweets. Paul George won’t play due to what the team describes as left knee injury recovery. Embiid hasn’t played since Nov. 8, while George made his season debut on Monday and played 21 minutes, in which he contributed nine points, seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks in a win over the Clippers. Wednesday’s game is the first of a back-to-back set, so George seems likely to suit up on Thursday.
- The Pistons assigned guard Jaden Ivey to their G League affiliate, the Motor City Cruise, for conditioning purposes, their PR department tweets. A restricted free agent after this season, Ivey hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since New Year’s Day, when he suffered a fractured left fibula. He recovered from that injury over the offseason, but underwent right knee surgery during the preseason last month.
- Hawks second-year forward Zaccharie Risacher missed his team’s game against the Pistons on Tuesday due to a left hip contusion but he should return soon, according to Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He suffered a nasty fall during a dunk attempt against the Suns on Sunday. Risacher’s legs swung up and he somersaulted and crashed to the floor, landing on his left side.
Sixers Notes: George, Embiid, Maxey, Edgecombe, Drummond
Sixers forward Paul George was on a minutes restriction in his season debut on Monday vs. his former team (the Clippers) and said after the game that he “felt good,” per Tim Bontemps of ESPN. George, having recovered from offseason surgery on his left knee, returned to the starting lineup and had nine points and seven rebounds in 21 minutes of action.
“It felt great to finally play basketball again,” said George, who last suited up on March 4. “Been like eight months since I played, so it was a long journey. A lot of ups and downs, a lot of hiccups … but felt good to finally get out there, and I felt good. Rusty, but I felt good.”
As a result of George’s minutes restriction, he ended up sitting out most of the fourth quarter as the Sixers eked out a two-point victory in crunch time. According to Bontemps, the 35-year-old said after the game that a potential increase on that minutes limit would be based on his work with the team’s medical staff and how his body responds to playing again.
We have more on the 76ers:
- Star center Joel Embiid missed a fourth straight game on Monday due to right knee soreness, but head coach Nick Nurse is optimistic that his absence won’t last much longer. “He’s OK, just not quite pain-free,” Nurse said, per Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports (Twitter link). “Still day to day. I think it’s getting better. I don’t think he’s far away from playing.”
- With George and Embiid not fully available to open the season, the Sixers have been leaning heavily on guards Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe to generate offense. As Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes, that has resulted in very heavy workloads for both Maxey (a league-leading 40.4 minutes per game) and Edgecombe (37.3 MPG). Nurse said on Monday that he has spoken to both players about the issue and that both insisted they’re comfortable with their high minutes totals. “They’re both on board,” the Sixers’ head coach said. “I said, ‘Whenever these (injured players) come back to help, we’re going to welcome them with open arms. But until that point, let’s stay focused on doing what needs to be done.”
- With Embiid out and Adem Bona sidelined due to an ankle sprain, the Sixers are learning more heavily on Andre Drummond, who has started the team’s past four games and played at least 33 minutes in each of those contests. As Pompey writes, Drummond held his own against talented Clippers center Ivica Zubac on Monday, scoring 14 points and grabbing a season-high 18 rebounds. Interestingly, the two-time All-Star is also incorporating an outside shot into his game — he’s 7-of-17 on three-pointers this season after never having made more than five in a season prior to 2025/26.
- In a mailbag for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Pompey considers whether Embiid or George have any trade value and acknowledges that neither player would be a hot commodity on the trade market at the moment. However, Pompey believes that George, in particular, has a chance to rebuild his value if he can stay on the court for an extended stretch this season, since his health issues have been acute injuries that shouldn’t lead to chronic conditions.
Paul George Expected To Make Season Debut Monday
Nov. 17: George is expected to make his season debut tonight, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets.
Nov. 16: Paul George has been upgraded to questionable for the Sixers‘ game against the Clippers on Monday, relays Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports (via Twitter).
George has missed the team’s first 12 games as he looks to return from offseason knee surgery, and this marks the first time he has been listed as questionable.
Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports reported earlier in the day that George was a full participant in the Sixers’ Sunday practice, as was Joel Embiid.
George, in his 16th year, is looking to bounce back from his least productive season since 2011/12, his first with the Sixers. He averaged 16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists on .430/.358/.814 shooting splits in ’24/25.
The Sixers have gone 7-5 in George’s absence, despite Embiid appearing in just six games. Trendon Watford, who was a limited participant in today’s practice, is among the players who has filled in for George — Watford has started the past four games and is averaging 9.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per contest.