76ers Big Man Left Off Injury Report vs Miami Heat

The Philadelphia 76ers expect to have Andre Drummond on board again on Monday night.

Nov 4, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Andre Drummond (5) shoots over Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic (20) during the first half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia 76ers have been getting slightly healthier as of late. Early last week, the team saw Joel Embiid make his debut while working alongside a healthy Paul George for the first time. When the Sixers faced the Cleveland Cavaliers last Wednesday, though, they missed both All-Stars, along with the veteran reserve center, Andre Drummond.

Ahead of the Cleveland matchup, Drummond came down with an illness. The team downgraded him to out, which led Nick Nurse to start Guerschon Yabusele in his place without Embiid.

On Friday, the Sixers return to the court out in Orlando to take on the Orlando Magic. Once again, Drummond was on the injury report as he continued to deal with an illness. When the Sixers took the court for a morning shootaround session, Drummond was reportedly not present.

Typically, an absence at shootaround would signal a potential absence for the game. That wasn’t the case in Orlando, though. Drummond was upgraded to available and even garnered some playing time.

Joel Embiid returned to the court against the Magic, which pushed Drummond back to a bench role. The veteran big man was quite limited on Friday, checking in for just four minutes in the 12-point loss against the Magic. It was by far his season-low in minutes.

Nov 10, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Andre Drummond (5) scores against the Charlotte Hornets during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Fortunately, it seems Drummond is feeling better now that it’s been nearly a week since an illness started to affect him. Heading into the Monday night matchup against the Miami Heat, the Sixers no longer have Drummond listed on the injury report. Barring any unexpected setbacks, he should be ready to go.

Through the first nine games of the season, Drummond started in the absence of Embiid. During that time, he produced ten points per game on 50 percent shooting from the field. Drummond averaged a double-double during that action, with 11 rebounds per game.

In the first game he came off the bench for a normal shift, Drummond produced five points and four rebounds in 18 minutes. It’s unclear what Drummond’s role will look like now that he’s healthy.

The assumption is he’ll resume a role behind Embiid, but with the seven-time All-Star dealing with an illness of his own this week, Drummond’s minutes will depend on whether Embiid will play or not on Monday.