CHICAGO — The Philadelphia 76ers are moving on following a 113-111 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night as they saw a 24-point lead slip away. The Sixers were rolling, but the offense went completely cold in the second half and the Bulls stormed back to win the game and send Philadelphia to its second loss of the season.
On a positive note, the Sixers did see Jared McCain make his return to the floor. The second-year guard out of Duke had his rookie season end after just 23 games due to a torn meniscus in his left knee that required surgery. He then missed the first six games of the 2025-26 season due to a torn UCL in his right thumb that also required surgery.
Sixers star Joel Embiid knows all about recovering from injuries as he has suffered through a lot of them in his career. The big fella has been in the ear of McCain giving him advice on how to handle everything.
“It’s good for him,” Embiid said. “Obviously, it’s just the first game. He’s got a long way to go. Having gone through so many injuries, I know what it’s like. I talk to him and try to help him with the process. It’s not easy. I’ve done it so much of my career coming back and being myself and looking at myself, but that’s not normal. That’s why I’m here.”
In terms of the production on the floor in his return, McCain shot 0-for-4 and missed his two 3-point attempts. That’s going to happen. Embiid knows that. He’s hoping to help McCain through it all as he works his way back.
“Having gone through it to try and help him through that process,” Embiid continued. “He’s gonna be fine. I dealt with the brace. That’s not easy to move with that big thing on, but if that’s what the doctors want, I guess you gotta do it. It’s his first game. It happens, but I’m confident in him to be better every single time he gets on the floor.”
In terms of the biggest piece of advice he gave to McCain, the big fella preached positivity. It isn’t going to be all sunshine and rainbows. There are going to be some tough nights in the early going. The performance against the Bulls is a prime example.
“Stay positive,” Embiid stated. “I know it’s tough. One of the main conversations that we had when he came back from the knee, his first time getting back on the floor, I could see the excitement of him just playing basketball and the game he was playing and the frustration, even in practice of just missing shots. I just try to tell him it’s gonna happen. Just gotta be patient. Just keep thinking about the right stuff and be positive.”
The Sixers will finish this road trip on Wednesday when they take on the Cleveland Cavaliers.