CAMDEN, N.J. — The light at the end of the 76ers’ lengthy spring injury tunnel is growing brighter.
Kelly Oubre Jr. declared himself ready to play Saturday night in Charlotte after nine games out with a left elbow ligament strain, while Tyrese Maxey is intensifying his practice with a reevaluation of his right pinkie tendon injury looming in the next few days. Both were officially listed as questionable on Friday’s injury report, while Joel Embiid is not listed at all, meaning he’s available.
With Paul George returning from his 25-game suspension on Wednesday and Embiid getting back after 13 games out with a right oblique strain, the 76ers could be getting fully healthy as the season ticks to nine games remaining.
“I’m excited,” Oubre said Friday at a practice at the team’s facility. “We’ve got a good thing going here, and I’m just trying to help push this momentum forward into the postseason.”
Oubre, who returned to full participation at Wednesday’s shootaround, declared himself fit before coach Nick Nurse could weigh in on the matter. The fact that it’s Charlotte, where he spent two seasons, may have a little something to do with it, not that he wouldn’t be eager to return anywhere.
“It’s felt really good,” Oubre said. A “lot of this thing that I’ve been dealing with has just been inflammation and pain management. And I told the training staff, once I can move my elbow, once I’m able to dribble the ball, shoot the ball, kind of do what I can without any discomfort, I want to play basketball. So I feel ready to play basketball. …
“I don’t know if I’m breaking news or not, but I don’t care. I’m playing basketball tomorrow.”
Nurse said he’s “pretty sure” Oubre will get cleared for the game between the seventh- and ninth-place teams in the East separated by one game. Nurse said the procedure of figuring out how to reintegrate Oubre is underway. It’s certainly one Nurse has gotten used to on other fronts.
Maxey has missed 11 games since getting hurt March 7 in Atlanta. He’s due to be reevaluated some time this weekend or early next week.
Maxey got a new splint. He’s unsure if he’ll play with it or need to graduate from it before being cleared.
He made certain that the only thing holding him back is the fact that it’s his shooting hand: He played through a similar issue last year that led to shooting struggles and convinced him to take the time this year to let it heal. Had it been on his off hand, it would be a matter of tape it and forget it.
“This year, I thought we were in a good spot as far as, we’re still in playoff contention, play-in contention, and it’s like, we can hold down the fort,” he said. “We have a team that’s really done a good job of just maintaining all season, so being able to have this time off and just rehab and do the thing that’s let the pinky get better, it’s on my shooting hand, that’s the main reason.”
Embiid returned for 35 points in 28 minutes, though he’s still experiencing discomfort in his side, and George scored 28 points in his return Wednesday for a 157-137 win over the Chicago Bulls. This week’s trip, against the ninth-placed Hornets and 10th-place Miami Heat, will be a more difficult proposition, with playoff implications for three teams all endeavoring to get there.
The impending returns pose the question of how to preserve what worked in the absence of the team’s stars and integrate it to their presence. VJ Edgecombe’s outing on Wednesday, scoring 22 points on 7-for-9 shooting, is the kind of concentrated contribution Nurse wants to see.
Quentin Grimes has said the right things about maintaining aggression.
Maxey said he and Edgecombe talked Friday about him staying aggressive on and off the ball, an evergreen conversation between the guards, Maxey particularly cheerleading Edgecombe to push the issue via his burgeoning midrange game.
With the scoring surge of Justin Edwards, strong reserve point guard play from Cameron Payne and consistent contributions from Dominick Barlow and Adem Bona, Nurse has the pieces of a rotation.
“What I get worried about in these situations with so many guys coming back is, we had a few weeks with a group, and, yeah, they got kicked around a couple times, but they kind of got it together and got a rhythm with what they were doing together,” Nurse said. “And then you add things that can disrupt the rhythm really quickly. But adding Joel and Paul, those guys are pretty experienced. So I think that that helps that integration happen fast, and obviously did the other night.”
“I think we can, at this point, get healthy at the right time, and all try to get on the court as soon as possible,” Maxey said. “So it’s really been good to see just Joel out there, PG out there. VJ, Justin, Kelly’s been trying to work his way back in. I’m just ready to get back out there with my guys.”
Oubre pointed to the late-January stretch, before George’s suspension and with Embiid playing in 20 of 25 games, as showing what this team can do. Maxey underscored that availability is part of the ability. Every team in the NBA has its ideal state, but the one that prevails in the postseason is the one that has the bodies physically present.
The hope, left unsaid in so many words, is for the 76ers to unearth one of those proficient stretches with Embiid, George, Maxey and the rest to see where it may take them in April.
“We finally are where everybody’s healthy or healthy enough,” Oubre said, “and I feel like we’re ready to go.”