Both Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey missed the 76ers’ final game prior to the All-Star break, yet the duo is not listed on the team’s injury report for Thursday’s tilt with the Celtics.
As has often been the case with Philadelphia’s 2024-25 season, it’s been an eventful few weeks for the franchise. Embiid returned from another extended injury absence on February 4 and has managed to average 26.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists in the four games he’s started since. The former MVP owns a massive 35.6% usage rate within that span of time and he was able to log an impressive 38.1 minutes of action against Toronto in his most recent appearance. Embiid still isn’t playing back-to-backs, but he looks like a viable asset in NBA DFS.
Things have been a little less optimistic for Maxey and Paul George — the 76ers’ other two stars. Maxey was a late scratch with a knee issue last Wednesday versus the Nets, after registering just five points on 1-for-9 shooting on February 11. George couldn’t even score five points against Brooklyn with both Maxey and Embiid unavailable, finishing with only two points in the 100-96 loss despite logging 36.3 minutes. Woof.
The trio have all been available for a mere 13 games in 2024-25. In total, they’ve shared the court for 250 minutes. In that sample, Embiid possesses a 37.1% usage rate and averages 1.65 FPTS per minute. Conversely, George owns a 15.6% usage rate and produces a paltry 0.83 FPTS per minute. Needless to say, I don’t think the veteran wing will be having much of a bounce back performance on Thursday evening.
