It’s official, the Philadelphia 76ers will face the Miami Heat in the play-in tournament. The winner will finish the season as the seventh seed and face the New York Knicks, who wrapped up the second seed with a win over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday.
When speaking to the media ahead of the Sixers’ 107-86 win over the Brooklyn Nets, head coach Nick Nurse confirmed that De’Anthony Melton could miss Philadelphia’s upcoming game against Miami due to injury.
“I’ve kinda always had a concern with him,” Nurse said. “I think it’s a tough deal. It’s the second time we’ve gone through holding him out, trying to treat him, getting him to a place where he thinks he can play…He probably has a bit of a journey to get there for Wednesday. And he hasn’t played much. It’s not time to be working guys back into the fold.”
Melton has struggled for availability this season. He’s played in 38 games. He’s averaging 11.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and three assists on 38.6% shooting from the field. Still, when he’s healthy, he’s arguably the most talented point-of-attack defender on the Sixers roster. His ability to stifle ball-handlers will be integral for the Sixers during the postseason, assuming they qualify.
The Sixers will also be sweating on the availability of Joel Embiid. They held him out of their closing game of the regular season. Embiid has recently returned from a meniscus injury that required surgery. Nurse will need his 2023 MVP in the rotation if the Sixers are going to overcome a tough and well-coached Heat team.
With question marks hanging over Melton and Embiid regarding fitness, the Sixers don’t project to be a major threat in the Eastern Conference this season. Still, Nurse is a championship-winning coach and is known as an innovator. It will be interesting to see how they navigate the upcoming play-in tournament and whether they can find success in spite of their current issues. Of course, if they can get Melton and Embiid back in the rotation, the outlook on their season could change rapidly.
