Doc Rivers Unsure When Joel Embiid Will Return After Pacers Game

Following the Pacers game on Wednesday, Doc Rivers addressed the status of Joel Embiid.

When will Joel Embiid return to the Philadelphia 76ers’ lineup? Sixers head coach Doc Rivers couldn’t offer a definitive answer on Wednesday night following Philadelphia’s overtime victory over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night.

“I actually don’t even know, honestly,” said Rivers when asked if Embiid would play on Friday to face the Chicago Bulls or not. “I just knew he was missing the game tonight and literally didn’t ask. I can’t even answer that question.”

Embiid was added to the Sixers’ injury report on Wednesday morning. According to the team, the big man was dealing with foot soreness. He suffered a foot injury during the second half of Monday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans. While it was clear Embiid was dealing with pain, as we saw a “Paul Pierce moment” from the big man, as James Harden put it, Embiid finished Monday’s game.

It seems the soreness took over on Wednesday, though. Prior to tip-off between the Sixers and the Pacers, Doc Rivers confirmed that Embiid got his foot checked out. As it seems Embiid’s simply battling soreness, Rivers agreed to the notion that the big man is day-to-day.

The Sixers will take on the Chicago Bulls on Friday night. Without Embiid on Wednesday, they found success with their small-ball lineup and a heavy dose of Montrezl Harrell in the five-spot off the bench. 

While the Sixers could certainly use Embiid against the Bulls on Friday, as Chicago’s a team Embiid’s had a ton of success against lately, it’s in the 76ers’ best interest to avoid rushing Embiid back out on the floor if he isn’t one-hundred percent.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.