The Philadelphia 76ers entered their 144-103 loss to the Orlando Magic on Tuesday without five players. That number increased to six before the halftime buzzer even sounded.
Trendon Watford suffered a left adductor strain in the second quarter of Philadelphia’s defeat to Orlando and will undergo a reevaluation in two weeks, the team announced this afternoon. The 76ers’ power forward depth is now dangerously thin amid Watford’s absence and Paul George’s (ankle) uncertain availability.
More bad news for the Sixers.
— Erin Grugan (@eringrugan) November 26, 2025
Looks like a non-contact injury for Trendon Watford, who goes down here grabbing his groin and is immediately helped to the locker room by Kyle Lowry. pic.twitter.com/6pSiLeQw1L
Watford will be missed
Watford’s setback came as soon as he settled into a reserve role.
The 24-year-old provides a point-forward skillset that Philadelphia otherwise lacks. His passing vision allows him to initiate pick-and-rolls, serve as a playmaking hub and find players leaking out in transition. Philadelphia scores 118.6 points per 100 possessions with Watford playing, which would rank it eighth in the NBA in offensive rating.
Given the 76ers’ recent injury stretch – which includes George and Joel Embiid – offense has been hard to come by outside of Tyrese Maxey. Watford was one of few players remaining who could create an advantage. But, his injury now forces Philadelphia to rely upon Maxey, Quentin Grimes and Jared McCain to shoulder the offensive burden.
Miniscule injuries are starting to pile up for Watford, however. He missed the 76ers’ first three games of the season due to left hamstring tightness, but has since played each game prior to his in-game injury against the Magic. While the forward’s injuries shouldn’t have a long-term impact, the wear and tear of the regular season is seemingly affecting him.
Watford is averaging 8.9 points per game on 61.8% true shooting, 4.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists through 14 contests this season.
Who is left?
Philadelphia will play six games before Watford’s reevaluation when it will face Jalen Johnson and possibly Giannis Antetokounmpo (adductor). Although Watford likely wouldn’t contain either forward, the 76ers’ shallow power forward variety is troublesome in matchups of this nature.
Philadelphia will likely cycle through Justin Edwards, Dominick Barlow and Jabari Walker during Watford and George’s absences. Edwards started in the 76ers’ last four contests while Barlow slotted into their starting lineup in light of George missing their loss to the Magic.
It’s fair to assume that Philadelphia’s rotations will be matchup-based given the lack of viability at the four. Nick Nurse will have to implement a new forward rotation ahead of the 76ers’ game against the Brooklyn Nets on November 28th at 7:30 p.m. EST.