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Joel Embiid Missed Sixers' Sunday Shootaround in Washington

The Philadelphia 76ers are set to take on the Washington Wizards on Sunday night. Lately, the Sixers have dealt with a few setbacks as several key rotational

Justin Grasso

Joel Embiid Missed Sixers' Sunday Shootaround in Washington
Joel Embiid Missed Sixers' Sunday Shootaround in Washington /

The Philadelphia 76ers are set to take on the Washington Wizards on Sunday night. Lately, the Sixers have dealt with a few setbacks as several key rotational players have been in and out of the lineup due to several reasons.

Fortunately for the Sixers, their top player Joel Embiid has remained relatively healthy lately despite dealing with numerous setbacks throughout the year so far.

On Thursday night, Embiid was present for the Sixers against the Atlanta Hawks. After playing for over 40 minutes a few nights prior against the Boston Celtics, Embiid clocked in for a 36-minute shift against Atlanta.

The Sixers center escaped the Thursday night loss without dealing with any setbacks, but he couldn't avoid an apparent illness while off the court. 

With Friday and Saturday off, the Sixers are slated to return to the court on Sunday. Hours before tip-off, the team participated in a morning shootaround session in D.C. While the Sixers had some players return to the court after being in the NBA's health and safety protocol, they were missing a key player on Sunday morning.

Embiid's Surprising Absence

According to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Joel Embiid was not present at the Sixers' shootaround session. Per Pompey's report, the four-time All-Star is currently feeling under the weather.

While Embiid's absence is concerning, Pompey's report doesn't come without promising news. Not only is Embiid dealing with a non-COVID illness, but he's still expected to play against the Wizards on Sunday, barring any setbacks.

For the time being, Embiid isn't listed as questionable on Philly's injury report, which is a good sign. However, his absence on Sunday morning is undoubtedly something to monitor as he's been late scratched out of Philly's lineup on numerous occasions this season.

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

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA

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