The Sixers have been struggling with injuries for the past couple of NBA seasons, with almost all of their draft prospects getting injured. Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Nerlens Noel, and Jahlil Okafor are a long list of the Sixers who were injured, but it seems as though all those rookie prospects are ready for Training Camp and are expected to be 100% once offseason ends. Here are a few updates on the Philadelphia 76ers roster and free agency news:
Gerald Henderson to miss entire season
Chris Haynes of ESPN has reported that Gerald Henderson will undergo hip surgery and will likely miss the entire 2017-2018 NBA season.
Henderson played for the Sixers last season, but was waived a couple of months ago, and since then he has greatly received huge interests from other NBA teams (Golden State Warriors, Milwaukee Bucks, and Toronto Raptors) this offseason. In a public announcement, Henderson said that his hip pain he has been feeling when he plays basketball is now giving him problems in his everyday life, so his family, and his agents have decided to pursue medical surgery so that he can play with the best of his abilities for the 2018-2019 NBA season.
Henderson was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2009 NBA draft with the 12th overall pick. In his eight seasons in the NBA he has averaged 11.2 points, 0.3 blocks, 0.7 steals, 1.9 assists, and 3.2 rebounds while shooting 44% from the field and a career high 35.3% from beyond the arc.
Embiid expected to be healthy and ready for training camp
Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated has reported that Joel Embiid will be ready for the start of training camp and is currently doing non-contact work outs. As of the moment, Embiid is in the NBA BWBA Africa work out and Africa game with Dirk Nowitzki, Kristaps Porzingis, Andre Drummond, Victor Oldaipo and CJ McCollum.
Embiid was selected by the Philadephia 76ers in the 2014 NBA Draft, unfortunately, he missed the entire 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 NBA season due to injuries and surgeries in the offseason.
Embiid made his NBA debut last season for the Sixers and immediately showed how good of a player he is despite the injuries. He averaged 20.2 points, 2.5 blocks, 2.1 assists, and 7.8 rebounds while shooting 46.6% from the field and 36.7% from beyond the arc in 31 games.
He made a clear case for Rookie of the Year, but only played 31 games, which made the NBA decide to give the award to Brogdon, despite the amazing numbers of Embiid. With the offseason ending and training camp around the corner, the Sixers are gearing up to make some noise in the weak Eastern Conference.
