As they say, Christmas is the season of giving. On that note, why do the Philadelphia 76ers keep getting the shorter end of the stick?
Just a day before their Christmas Day matinee with the defending champions, the Boston Celtics, the 76ers get another entry on the injury report, this time courtesy of KJ Martin, who will be out for quite some time as reported.
Martin, who recently incurred a stress reaction in his left soot, is set to miss at least two weeks — leaving a significant void in Philly’s forward rotation that has already been pretty thin this season. Now, the 76ers will have to, once again, make do with their in-house options, meaning that players like Caleb Martin and Kelly Oubre Jr. will see even more time, just like they did in their recent dub over the Spurs.
76ers lose KJ Martin to injury just before Christmas
Initially widely pegged as a mere trade piece and salary matcher, Martin has surpassed expectations so far this season. The young forward has been one of the 76ers’ better defenders, and his much improved offensive game, especially from the perimeter, has made him quite the valuable commodity for the underperforming squad.
Martin, who is shooting 61.6 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from three-point land, has become a tough piece to merely dangle away in trades. Heck, an argument could be made that he has been the team’s best non-Paul George forward this season.
Losing Martin would once again prompt Nick Nurse to reshuffle his deck and perhaps even extend some playing time to those who have been in his doghouse all season long.
The 76ers will be particularly tested in this regard as they are set to face the Celtics this Christmas. Facing the league’s most potent three-point shooting squad led by Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard on the perimeter will be especially tough without a very good switch defender in Martin.
Philly has been a favorite of the injury bug this season just like in years past, and give how much they are used to by now, the players should have no qualms rising to the plate and stepping up in light of Martin’s untimely injury.
The Philadelphia 76ers are now 10-17 on the season with a favorable schedule ahead of them for the next few weeks. Snagging a win over the defending champions would be a massive confidence booster. Hopefully, they can get the job done today and prove the injury bug wrong on Christmas Day.