James Harden expected to miss one month after suffering foot strain Wednesday vs. Wizards

Thursday update: Harden suffered a foot strain in Wednesday’s game and is expected to miss one month, according to Adrian Wojnarowski. This is obviously a huge blow for the 76ers, who have been without Joel Embiid for a few games as well. Philadelphia is 4-5 to begin the season and while the schedule has been a bit challenging, the road forward looks more daunting with Harden out. If Embiid can come back soon, that should stave off some of the pressure. Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey will have to take on bigger roles as well with Harden sidelined.

Update: Harden has returned to Wednesday’s game, so he should be fine to complete this contest. We’ll see if he gets put on the injury report going forward or if this was just a minor tweak.

Philadelphia 76ers shooting guard James Harden went to the locker room Wednesday against the Washington Wizards, appearing to suffer some sort of ankle or foot injury. The 76ers were already without Joel Embiid for this game and now could be without Harden for the remainder of the contest if his injury is serious.

Harden has a history of hamstring problems but this seemed more like a lower-leg issue. The shooting guard was up to 18 points, eight assists and five rebounds in 28 minutes of action prior to exiting the game. The 76ers are in a tight battle with the Wizards with most of the fourth quarter left as of this writing, so getting Harden back would be huge for this game.

If he cannot return, look for the Sixers to turn to Tyrese Maxey as the primary ball handler. Tobias Harris might also get more touches as a result of Harden’s absence, while Georges Niang would also be in the mix to provide some spacing.