Joel Embiid was on the floor after Sixers practice Monday chatting with Tyrese Maxey, shooting jumpers and sweating. He even did a few handstands.
A return to games is still not imminent.
According to a Sixers official, Embiid’s troublesome left knee has “responded well” to treatment and he was a partial participant at practice. However, he will not play in the Sixers’ upcoming back-to-back Tuesday night vs. the Lakers and Wednesday vs. the Kings.
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“He was in most of (practice). … We work with those guys that are going to be playing tomorrow, mostly,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said. “He was in all of the drills, but kind of with the next unit or whatever, just to get him re-acclimated and playing in part of the practice.”
Paul George (left pinkie finger injury) did not practice and will also miss the Lakers game. The Sixers were reviewing the imaging done on George’s finger, the team official said.
Along with Embiid and George, the Sixers will be down Andre Drummond (left toe injury recovery), Caleb Martin (right hip sprain), KJ Martin (left foot stress reaction) and Jared McCain (season-ending left lateral meniscus surgery). The team listed Guerschon Yabusele as probable with a “right knee swelling” designation.
Both Caleb Martin and KJ Martin appear to be working toward a return in the near future, barring any setbacks. The more veteran Martin was a full practice participant and the 24-year-old high flyer was a partial participant.
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“Just practicing these next couple of days,” KJ Martin said when asked about the final boxes he needs to check. “Working out pregame and stuff like that. Maybe get (more) imaging on my foot just to make sure that I’m 100 percent.”
To begin their six-game homestand, the Sixers will face a Lakers team playing on the second night of a back-to-back.
They’ll be aiming to extend their winning streak to three games and build a bit of positive momentum for the first time in weeks.
“You guys hear this from me all the time, but I’ll say it again: See who’s there, figure out the matchups, figure out the game plan, figure out the rotations and go from there,” Nurse said. “And we’ll play as hard as we can and as well as we can.”
With George out, it would make sense if Ricky Council IV remained in the Sixers’ rotation.
Council had an interesting weekend. He was thrown into Saturday’s win over the Bulls following George’s injury and posted seven points and three rebounds in 11 minutes. On Sunday, he got assigned to the G League and put up 29 points and eight boards in the Delaware Blue Coats' victory against the Greensboro Swarm.
“I feel like a lot of people could come down on assignment and try to force the issue, try to (score) 30, 40, 50 points in a game,” Council said. “But my main goal was just to try to help them get a win. I’m familiar with most of those guys, so the chemistry was there. … I was just trying to play the right way and win the game, and that’s what happened.”
What has Nurse made of Council’s second NBA season and how will the Sixers approach his development moving forward?
“I think, again, it’s been a little bit up and down for him,” Nurse said. “I think he’s still in a real learning stage. He wasn’t alone here, but I wasn’t super happy with his performance in Denver, just all around. Needed to use him in Chicago, and he went in there and played well.
“Thought he could go down (to the G League) and work on some things that we see he can do for us on a consistent basis. And he went down there and did them yesterday very professionally. So whatever we’ve got to do to get him to play at a little higher level and play a great role for us, we’re going to continue to do. We need him.”