Joel Embiid to undergo evaluation, Paul George to make preseason debut against Timberwolves

Keith Pompey, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Oct 10, 2024

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DES MOINES, Iowa — Paul George is set to make his 76ers debut against the Minnesota Timberwolves Friday night at Wells Fargo Arena. Meanwhile, the team is without Joel Embiid as they prepare to play in the home arena of the Iowa Wolves, the Timberwolves' G League affiliate.

The Sixers then will face the Boston Celtics on Saturday and the Atlanta Hawks in the two remaining games of their preseason road trip.

Coach Nick Nurse was asked after Thursday’s practice at Grand View University if Embiid will meet the team on the road trip.

“He’s not here,” Nurse said. “He’s at a scheduled assessment of his knee. That was always on the schedule. We are still waiting for what’s next.”

The 7-foot-2 center played in just 39 games last season largely because of a torn lateral meniscus in his left knee.

He said he’s “slowly building back up” his knee this preseason.

Embiid and George missed Monday’s 139-84 exhibition victory over the New Zealand Breakers at the Wells Fargo Center.

But Tyrese Maxey and George participated in shooting drills, which included an array of acrobatic dunks, following Thursday’s practice.

George’s goals for Friday’s preseason game with the mindset include improving and developing chemistry with teammates.

“But I think more so just get some conditioning,” he said. “Try to really blow out my lungs, run the floor, all the intangible stuff. I think the talent, it will make its imprint as the season goes on and we get out of preseason. More so, I’ll be in my game. But it’s keeping up with [Tyrese Maxey], running the floor, giving him space. But like I said, it’s more so the intangibles this preseason.”

While George worked on the intangibles, Nurse enjoyed practicing at his former stomping ground.

The 57-year-old was the head coach at Grand View for two seasons in the early 1990s. He took over at 23 years old in 1991 and at the time was the youngest head college basketball coach in the country.

Thursday’s practice was at the Johnson Wellness Center and Dave Sisam Arena. It’s where Grand View played under Nurse. It’s also where the Iowa Energy of the NBA D-League practiced when he coached them.

“It looks a lot nicer, a lot newer that it was back in 1990, whatever it was,” Nurse said of the small arena. “It’s been so long ago that I can’t quite look it up. ... It was two stints using this gym. We were feisty today, a lot like I remember it being in this gym. It’s loud and it’s close. That kind of sets an environment for some competition and our guys certainly were competing today.”

The Sixers were treated like rock stars as Grand View students stood in the hallways to watch practice through glass doors. Then they waited outside of the building to take selfies with players afterward.

Green retires

Former Sixer Danny Green announced his retirement on Thursday. He leaves the game as a three-time NBA champion.

The 37-year-old swingman won titles with the San Antonio Spurs (2014), Toronto Raptors (2019), and Los Angeles Lakers (2020). Green shot 40% on 3-pointers during a 15-season career with six NBA teams.

Green had two stints with the Sixers. He first played for the Sixers during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons before being traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. Green re-signed with the Sixers on Sept. 13, 2023. However, he only played a total of 18 minutes in two games before being waived on Nov. 1.

Blue x White scrimmage

The Sixers will hold their annual Blue x White Scrimmage on Oct. 20 at Chase Fieldhouse in Wilmington, Del.

The event is free to the public. However, fans must obtain a ticket to enter the arena, which is home to the Sixers’ NBA G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats.

Season ticket-holders can receive tickets for the event via a link starting at 9 a.m. Friday. Partial plan holders then will be eligible to claim tickets at 11 a.m. Tickets will be available to the general public at 1 p.m.

There are championship-or-bust expectations surrounding the Sixers after they reshaped the roster this offseason.

The most significant move came when George signed a four-year, $211.5 million contract to form a big three with and Maxey and Embiid. But signing Caleb Martin, Andre Drummond, Guerschon Yabusele and Eric Gordon, along with re-signing Kelly Oubre Jr., Kyle Lowry and Maxey has catapulted the Sixers into championship contention.