As if this late season stretch could not get any worse for the Philadelphia 76ers, the injury bug decided to afflict them once more. Just a day after it was announced that Tyrese Maxey would be missing at least the next three weeks due to a finger injury, it was reported that Kelly Oubre Jr. would also be out of commission for at least two weeks with an elbow sprain.
Philly is already missing the services of both Joel Embiid and Paul George, and with Maxey and now, Oubre, missing time, the 76ers will be missing four of their five starters. To make matters worse, the possibility of them missing the postseason outright is now real. After languishing at sixth place for a couple of months, they are now firmly situated in the play-in range.
The eighth-seeded 76ers are just 1.5 games out of sixth place, but the two of the teams ahead narrowly ahead of them in the standings, the Magic and the Heat, have been on fire as of late. Meanwhile, Philly will have to clear a huge hurdle for them to even remain in the conversation for the top-six. At this juncture, a play-in tournament berth is becoming more likely for them.
The 76ers face the real possibility of missing the playoffs after latest injury setback
Oubre has done a great job this season serving as the team’s auxiliary, wildcard piece in the starting unit, fitting in with the starters with his reinvigorated three-point shooting, reliable on and off-ball D, and timely cutting. With the team’s stars currently sidelined, he was on a featured role, but now that he is also out, the 76ers will be hapless trying to find his immediate replacement in the rotation.
None of their remaining forwards are particularly known as capable scorers. Justin Edwards is not a shot creator by any means. Trendon Watford is a pass-and-defend forward who is not a high-octane scorer by any stretch of the imagination. Jabari Walker is a tweener who is predisposed more toward playing as a small-ball big.
There is literally no viable way for the 76ers to fill the void left by Oubre, who had just poured in 30 points and 12 rebounds in their latest comeback win over the Grizzlies. This team will be severely handicapped on both ends of the floor until he makes his return, especially with all three of their stars not expected to be back anytime soon.
Hopefully, the shorthanded 76ers can stand their ground, but it would be too unrealistic to expect them to keep racking up wins, especially against quality opponents, with teams now more determined to come out swinging at this juncture.