CAMDEN, N.J. – Tyrese Maxey gave a literal thumbs up for a status update after a contusion there caused his early exit from the 76ers’ last preseason game in Orlando Friday.
The news on the other members of Philadelphia’s Big Three was slightly more equivocal.
Joel Embiid (knee management) participated in portions of practice Monday at the team’s practice facility, while Paul George (knee) worked out but did not practice with the team. Both will be reevaluated Tuesday ahead of Wednesday’s opener at the Wells Fargo Center against Milwaukee.
Coach Nick Nurse estimated that Embiid took part in 60 to 70 percent of the practice, everything before game-speed scrimmaging to end the session. Embiid and George did extended two-man drills with staff, and Embiid was part of a half-court game of 3-on-3 with staff.
Embiid took part in the same portions of practice as Jared McCain, recovering from pulmonary bruising suffered last Wednesday.
“They said tomorrow we should have a good idea on all three of them,” Nurse said, of George, Embiid and McCain. “I do know personally, talking to them, they all feel good. But until I see them a little bit more on the court, I can’t really decide that until tomorrow’s practice.”
George is almost certainly out of the opener after a scary knee hyperextension in Atlanta last Monday. But the free-agent prize player said on his podcast that he’s feeling good and expects to be back sooner rather than later. George played 74 games with the Clippers last year, his most since 2018-19.
Embiid is ostensibly healthy save for ongoing wear and tear that comes with being 7-foot, 280 pounds and 30 years old. His and the team’s stated goal is to do whatever it takes to have him healthy in the postseason. That may mean fewer regular-season games, less of a concerted MVP campaign and more days like Monday, where Embiid has a light practice schedule.
“He’s going to be very limited in that stuff as the kind of new normal. I think so,” Nurse said. “I think that, again, he’s moving pretty good. He’s getting a lot of work in whle he’s out there.”
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Monday’s practice was the last long, intense run of preseason for a group that includes just four holdovers from last year.
Nurse used Monday’s session to focus on what the 76ers can improve upon rather than matchups specific to the Bucks.
“Just cleaning up a lot of execution type of things,” he said. “Make sure we understand exactly what we’re doing at both ends of the floor and in special situations, covered pretty much the gamut of offense, defense and special teams. We’ve got plays that they kind of know how to run, but make sure we really know how to run them.”
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Nurse inherited a roster last year that was short on the defensive bona fides he values. In crafting a squad more amenable to his designs this year, that has changed.
One area is playing zone defense. The current group has more athleticism than last year’s. It includes the versatile Caleb Martin, who earned his keep on defense in Miami, the team that has played the most zone defense in the league the last few years.
Nurse has tried to install looks in preseason, but it went on the backburner with all the injury ins and outs.
“We’ve played a decent chunk of it here in the preseason – not a ton, not maybe as much as I thought we were going to,” Nurse said. “Obviously, there’s been lots of other things to focus on. I think you’re going to see us playing some zone, just a matter of how much and how soon.”
