Nick Nurse addresses concern level for Sixers' piling injuries

NEW YORK -- 18 games into the 2025-26 season, the Philadelphia 76ers are sitting at 10-8 following a win over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday. The record is solid when considering the injuries the team has endured to begin the season, but a bigger issue, once again, is the absences of the team's two stars.

Through 18 games, Joel Embiid has played only six games as he is working his way back from April surgery on his left knee and is now also dealing with a right knee issue. The Sixers are hoping to have the big fella back sooner rather than later, but he has not played since Nov. 8.

Paul George was able to get on the floor in the win over the Nets, but that was just his fourth game played out of a possible 18. The trio of Embiid, George, and Tyrese Maxey has yet to play in a game together. That is not ideal when considering they played only 18 games in the 2024-25 season--finishing only 15 of those games.

For coach Nick Nurse, he knows he needs Embiid and George out there for the Sixers to reach their full potential, but there are bigger concerns on his mind when it comes to the injury bug.

"Well, listen, I think that, a little bit like I said a year ago, I think that we need them to be the best version of ourselves," Nurse said before the win over the Nets. "That's for sure. The concern levels hit me, obviously, when they're not playing, but now, when we're missing three or four other guys out of the rotation, right? I think we're probably thinking about a nine-man rotation, and that's when it's getting a little tough."

To Nurse's point, it isn't just the Embiid and George factors. The Sixers are also dealing with injuries to Kelly Oubre Jr., VJ Edgecombe, and Trendon Watford. They just got Adem Bona back from a right ankle sprain against Brooklyn, but then lost Andre Drummond to a right knee sprain, so that leaves the rotation thin on a nightly basis.

"Again, we are plugging in the next guy, but it's just making us awful thin," Nurse added. "It's running minutes up. It's doing a lot of things just to kind of across the board. So not only do we want Joel and Paul back, we want Kelly and VJ and we got Bona back tonight. We want all the guys back, for sure. I think that kind of levels it out for everybody."

In terms of Edgecombe, the rookie was putting in work pregame at the Barclays Center so one has to believe he is close to a return as the Sixers now prepare to face the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday at home.

"I think again, he's is getting on the court and getting some workouts in individually," Nurse explained on Edgecombe. "He hasn't done any team stuff yet, but, I think he's doing OK with his on court workouts and hopefully trending upward quickly."

This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Nick Nurse addresses concern level for Sixers' piling injuries