Grant Riller Suffered Knee Injury vs. Raptors

Heading into Monday night's game against the Toronto Raptors, the Sixers were missing a few players. Joel Embiid, who was present with the team, got the night

Justin Grasso | Oct 6, 2021

Grant Riller Suffered Knee Injury vs. Raptors /

Heading into Monday night's game against the Toronto Raptors, the Sixers were missing a few players. Joel Embiid, who was present with the team, got the night off as the 76ers wanted their big man to rest after being present for every training camp practice.

Meanwhile, the rookie center Charles Bassey missed the matchup as he was not cleared to travel since his work visa is in the process of being finalized. As expected, Ben Simmons missed the matchup as his holdout continues, and lastly, Tobias Harris got the night off after dealing with knee soreness.

Unfortunately, the Sixers didn't make it out of Monday's preseason opener without any further injuries occurring to the roster. Grant Riller, who was added to the Sixers with one of their two two-way slots, went down with a knee injury versus the Raptors.

On Wednesday, a team official confirms that Riller's injury is notable and will force him to miss time. According to the official, Riller was diagnosed with a torn meniscus in his left knee. He'll undergo surgery, and the Sixers intend to re-evaluate the second-year guard in approximately two weeks.

That's a tough blow for Riller. Now that he's set to miss at least two weeks, that puts an end to the second-year guard's preseason run. The road to get where he's at hasn't been easy for Riller. After becoming a four-year standout at the College of Charleston, Riller found himself drafted 56th overall to the Charlotte Hornets last year.

After playing the 2020-2021 season, splitting time between the Hornets and their G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, Riller became a free agent this offseason. After landing another two-way deal with the Sixers, Riller expected to develop on the Delaware Blue Coats. Unfortunately, his season is put on pause as he's now battling through a notable setback.

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

Published Oct 6, 2021

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