Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain is set to finally make his highly anticipated season debut for the Sixers on Tuesday night against the Chicago Bulls. According to ESPN's Tim Bontemps, McCain has been cleared to play after missing time due to a thumb injury, which has kept him sidelined since December 13 of last year.
Meanwhile, center Joel Embiid is expected to miss the team's upcoming game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday as he wasn't listed on the Sixers' injury report for Tuesday's matchup. While it initially seemed like Embiid would be back in action sooner rather than later, sources confirm that this was a planned absence and not a response to any new issues with his left knee.
For the Sixers, managing Embiid's health has been a top priority early on in the season, with the team focusing on allowing him to appear in as many off days as possible. In other news, Paul George is reportedly making progress towards returning from his knee injury and has been practicing in full. However, an update on Dominick Barlow's elbow status is still pending.
The Sixers will face a tough test against the Bulls, but with McCain finally back on the court, they'll have one more piece of their puzzle in place as they navigate the challenging 2025-26 season schedule.
Meanwhile, center Joel Embiid is expected to miss the team's upcoming game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday as he wasn't listed on the Sixers' injury report for Tuesday's matchup. While it initially seemed like Embiid would be back in action sooner rather than later, sources confirm that this was a planned absence and not a response to any new issues with his left knee.
For the Sixers, managing Embiid's health has been a top priority early on in the season, with the team focusing on allowing him to appear in as many off days as possible. In other news, Paul George is reportedly making progress towards returning from his knee injury and has been practicing in full. However, an update on Dominick Barlow's elbow status is still pending.
The Sixers will face a tough test against the Bulls, but with McCain finally back on the court, they'll have one more piece of their puzzle in place as they navigate the challenging 2025-26 season schedule.
idc if he's back on the court or not, sixers still got issues to deal with embiid & barlow... george is cool but we need him healthy ASAP
! It's been ages since he's played and I was starting to think we'd never see him on the court again 
. But now that he's cleared to play, I'm expecting some fireworks 
. The Sixers need all the help they can get with Embiid out of commission for another game 
.
It's not like he's getting hurt or anything... just taking it easy, huh? 
. On a more serious note though, I'm glad they're being cautious with his health. The man is a beast on the court and we don't want him to risk any long-term damage.
! And Dominick Barlow's elbow status better be solid for when he returns, because we can't afford to have anyone else get hurt 
. The Bulls are gonna give the Sixers a run for their money though, so let's see how they stack up 
. Bring it on! 
. And yay for Paul George making progress on his knee injury! It's like they're finally getting some good news 
Still, I'm hyped for the game against the Bulls tonight! The Sixers are gonna crush it with McCain back in the mix 
. and meanwhile, embiid's absence is a bit of a bummer, hope he's just taking care of himself tho 
. The Bulls are gonna be tough, though... I'm thinking a close one 
. Bring it on, Sixers!
!
. So serious about Embiid tho, I get it, he's a franchise player and all that but can't they just give him a break? Like, if he's not 100%, why push him to play? He'll just end up getting hurt again and then they're stuck with another injury report 
. At least George is making progress! Fingers crossed Dominick gets his elbow sorted out ASAP...
still not sure about embiid tho 
all that hype and he's just taking it easy lol maybe he'll surprise us with a comeback 
. Not sure what's going on with Barlow's elbow tho... hoping it's just a minor tweak 