Sixers Notes: Oubre, Power Forward, Grimes, Embiid
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said earlier this week that forward Kelly Oubre Jr., who has been sidelined since November 14 due to a sprained left knee, could return to action during the team’s current road trip. That trip will wrap up on Saturday in New York, and Oubre’s chances of playing against the Knicks may hinge on whether he can take part in a five-on-five scrimmage on Friday, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Oubre participated in a three-on-three scrimmage on Monday and a four-on-four session on Wednesday, Pompey notes. If he plays five-on-five and his body responds well, his return should be imminent, though the 30-year-old declined to speculate on that subject, indicating he’s leaving the decision up to the experts.
“I’m just going off what the trainers and the docs say,” Oubre said. “So for me, I don’t feel any pain, any shortness after workouts, and things like that, which is a good sign. So I take that as a positive and just continue to build from there and get stronger. But I’m leaving it to the docs and the trainers.”
While the 76ers have been hit hard by injuries over the past year-and-a-half, they’re close to getting fully healthy, with both Oubre and Trendon Watford (adductor) in the final stage of their respective recovery processes.
Here’s more on the Sixers:
- Even when Oubre returns, Nurse says he envisions Paul George “mostly” as a three, according to Pompey. So who will handle the primary power forward duties? Nurse suggested he may take a committee approach to the position. “I think it’s Paul. I think it’s (Dominick) Barlow. Could be a little Oubre. Could be a little (Adem) Bona,” the Sixers’ coach said. “But I think it just depends on who we’re playing. Hopefully, we can be versatile enough to figure out what we are doing in all those different lineups. That’s what’s going to take some time.”
- Quentin Grimes averaged 11.8 shot attempts per game in his first 24 outings of the season, but that numbers has dipped to 7.5 per game in his past six contests. As long as Joel Embiid, George, and Tyrese Maxey are healthy and available, that trend may continue, but Grimes can continue to provide value with his defensive effort and by making the most of the opportunities he does get on offense, Pompey writes for The Inquirer. “He’s kind of a good wild card for us,” Maxey said of Grimes. “He can get hot. He can make threes. He can drive the ball. He can play defensively, too. That’s what’s really good for us. He can play with a lot of lineups too.”
- While Embiid’s offensive production has increased as of late – he has averaged 29.2 points per game in his past six starts – the former MVP says he believes his improving health is more evident on the other end of the court, per Pompey. “Physically, where I felt most (like myself) is defensively,” Embiid explained. “I’m getting back to that level of (protecting the rim), blocking shots and being that defensive presence.”
Bucks, Pistons, Warriors Among Potential MPJ Suitors
As we relayed in a Front Office article earlier on Thursday, Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. is an intriguing trade candidate ahead of the February 5 deadline. Just six months after essentially being treated as a salary dump by Denver, Porter has rebuilt his value with an outstanding first season in Brooklyn — he’s averaging career highs of 25.8 PPG, 7.5 RPG and 3.3 APG through 26 games, with an excellent .496/.410/812 shooting line.
“At worst he’s returned to neutral value, which is a major development,” one veteran NBA executive recently told Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).
Brooklyn has been taking incoming calls on Porter but the team doesn’t appear to be actively trying to move him, Fischer writes. Several people around the league familiar with the Nets’ thinking believe they will be aggressive in trying to accelerate their rebuild next offseason if they land a top pick in the 2026 draft, according to Fischer, who suggests the team might have a fairly high asking price to consider trading Porter mid-season.
Confirming a recent report from Sam Amick of The Athletic, Fischer says the Bucks are one team monitoring Porter’s situation as they look for roster upgrades around Giannis Antetokounmpo. Assuming he plays well in his return from a torn Achilles tendon, which is expected to occur in January, Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray is another player the Bucks could pursue in the coming weeks, multiple sources tell Fischer.
Although the Pistons have not yet called the Nets about Porter, they’re considered a potential suitor for the 27-year-old, Fischer reports. Detroit is my favorite theoretical landing spot for Porter, as he would provide a secondary scorer and top-tier shooter alongside Cade Cunningham. As Fischer writes, the Pistons aren’t expected to make an all-in move for Anthony Davis or Lauri Markkanen, but Porter makes less money than either of those players and likely wouldn’t cost as much to acquire as Markkanen.
The Warriors have considered making a run at Porter, sources tell Fischer, and head coach Steve Kerr praised the 6’10” forward after Monday’s game in Brooklyn. But a two-team deal between the Nets and Warriors appears unlikely right now, per Fischer, as Brooklyn doesn’t seem high on Jonathan Kuminga, whose outgoing salary would be necessary for matching purposes.
While it’s unclear if they’ll be buyers or sellers and they aren’t expected to pick a direction until closer to the deadline, the Bulls are another possible suitor for Porter, according to Fischer, who says Chicago was in serious talks to acquire the former lottery pick from Denver last year for Zach LaVine. Obviously the trade didn’t occur and LaVine is no longer a Bull, but it shows Chicago’s front office has an affinity for Porter.
The Hawks and Sixers are two other teams who expressed interest in Porter when he was still a Nugget, but neither club seems to be targeting him this season, Fischer adds.
Eastern Notes: Edgecombe, Wizards, Hall, Williams, Cavs
While he has been overshadowed to some extent by former Duke teammates Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel, Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe has been one of the NBA’s very best rookies so far this season. As Tony Jones of The Athletic writes, Edgecombe is further along his development than anticipated and showed again on Tuesday why Philadelphia made the right call drafting him with the No. 3 overall pick.
In a back-and-forth overtime matchup with Memphis, Edgecombe racked up 25 points, six rebounds, four assists, and four steals in nearly 41 minutes of action. He also knocked down five shots from beyond the arc, including a game-winning three-pointer with two seconds left in the overtime period (video link via NBA.com).
“VJ has been telling us for three weeks that he deserves to shoot a game-winner,” said Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey, who had the assist on that final shot. “I said, OK. I trust him. I knew he would shoot it with confidence. He took the shot, and he made it. We’re blessed to have him. You can thank the basketball gods, or (Sixers president of basketball operations) Daryl Morey, or whoever. He’s got a chance to be a special player.”
We have more from around the Eastern Conference:
- The Sixers were able to draft Edgecombe because they were bad enough last season to hang onto a top-six protected 2025 first-round pick. The Wizards find themselves in a similar position this season, with their 2026 first-rounder headed to New York if it doesn’t land in the top eight. As David Aldridge of The Athletic writes, that no longer looks like the lock that it did after Washington lost 15 of its first 16 games this season. The Wizards’ young core has shown positive signs during the team’s recent 4-4 stretch, which bodes well for the future but could jeopardize the team’s 2026 first-round pick if the trend continues.
- The two-way contracts recently signed by PJ Hall with the Hornets and Malik Williams with the Hawks each cover two seasons, Hoops Rumors has learned. If Hall and Williams play out those full deals, they’ll be eligible for restricted free agency during the 2027 offseason.
- With the Cavaliers off to an 18-16 start after winning 64 games last season and surpassing the second tax apron over the summer, Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link) considers potential moves for Cleveland’s front office, exploring whether it would make sense for the team to shake up its roster in a major way at the upcoming trade deadline. As Gozlan outlines, the Cavs’ inability to aggregate salaries will create challenges on the trade market, but players on smaller or mid-sized contracts – like Herbert Jones and Jose Alvarado of the Pelicans – would still theoretically be attainable.
And-Ones: Simmons, NCAA, Rookies, Tanking, 2026 Draft
After recently confirming to Marc J. Spears of Andscape that he continues to work toward a potential NBA comeback, former No. 1 overall pick and three-time All-Star Ben Simmons spoke to Sam Jane of The Athletic about why he has been in no rush to sign a new contract. As Simmons explains, recurring back issues have resulted in him playing – and living – through pain for several years.
“(It’s) one of those things where you’re dealing with it every day, sitting down, going to sleep, flying on planes,” Simmons said. “People don’t understand that.”
According to Simmons, he determined it would be in his best interest to take a more extended rehab period after the 2024/25 season rather than immediately signing a new contract and once again reporting to a team’s camp at less than 100%. His goal as he works out in Los Angeles, he tells Jane, is to become “bulletproof” to avoid more health-related setbacks.
“I’m about to be 30 years old, and I need to make the best decision for Ben Simmons,” Simmons said. “It’s not fun going out there, not being able to move, not be able to jump, or, you know, take hits. There’s no fun in that. Sometimes you got to make a decision with how you feel and what’s best for yourself. And that’s what I’ve done, and it’s not for everybody to really understand, because they’re not in my shoes.”
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Amid reports that college basketball coaches are reaching out to players with NBA experience, Jeff Goodman of Field of 68 (Twitter links) hears from a source that the NCAA has yet to grant eligibility to anyone who has played in NBA games. Asked if that could happen, an NCAA spokesperson provided the following statement: “Schools are recruiting and seeking eligibility for more individuals with more international, semi-pro, and professional experience than ever before and while the NCAA members have updated many rules following the House injunction, more rules must likely be updated to reflect the choices member schools are making. At the same time, NCAA eligibility rules have been invalidated by judges across the country wreaking havoc on the system and leading to fewer opportunities for high school students, which is why the Association is asking Congress to intervene in these challenges.”
- A little over two months into the NBA season, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic has updated his rookie rankings, evaluating first-year players based on how they’ve performed so far in 2025/26. The top four players on Vecenie’s list are the same ones selected with the first four picks in the 2025 draft: Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg, Hornets wing Kon Knueppel, Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe, and Spurs guard Dylan Harper. Pelicans big man Derik Queen rounds out Vecenie’s top five.
- With the NBA reportedly considering rule changes to further disincentivize tanking, Tony Jones, Eric Koreen, and Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic evaluate the rumored proposals, expressing the most enthusiasm for one that would prevent teams from drafting in the top four in back-to-back years.
- Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report spoke to three scouts about who should be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft, with each of those three scouts laying out the case for selecting a different prospect: Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, BYU forward AJ Dybantsa, and Duke forward Cameron Boozer.
Injury Notes: Kings, Jokic, Sengun, Bogdanovic, Sixers
After losing by 24 points to the Lakers on Sunday, the Kings should have some reinforcements on Tuesday for their matchup with Los Angeles’ other team.
According to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link), center Drew Eubanks will be available for Tuesday’s game vs. the Clippers after having missed the past seven games due to a thumb fracture. Reporting on December 13 indicated that Eubanks – who appeared in each of the team’s first 25 games of the season, making 11 starts in the middle – would be reevaluated in three weeks, but it appears he’ll beat his projected recovery timeline.
Meanwhile, forward Keegan Murray has been upgraded to questionable after being inactive for the Kings’ past two games, Anderson adds. Murray, diagnosed last week with a calf strain, could also have a shorter absence than anticipated, since a report on Friday indicated that he’d be reevaluated in one week.
Here are more injury-related updates from around the NBA:
- The early reports on Nikola Jokic‘s knee injury out of his home country of Serbia are encouraging. According to Đorđe Matić of Meridian Sport, there’s a belief that Jokic hyperextended his left knee but avoided a more serious injury. The Nuggets‘ star center is undergoing more testing today, so it shouldn’t be long before we get a more formal update on his diagnosis and recovery timeline.
- Rockets center Alperen Sengun has missed two consecutive games due to what the team is calling a left soleus (calf) strain. However, head coach Ime Udoka said on Monday that he doesn’t believe the injury is a significant one, explaining that the club is just trying to manage a little soreness that Sengun experienced after Thursday’s Christmas Day game (Twitter link via Will Guillory of The Athletic).
- Clippers guard Bogdan Bogdanovic will be out indefinitely due to a left hamstring issue, tweets Law Murray of The Athletic. Bogdanovic missed Sunday’s game vs. Detroit and has been ruled out for Tuesday’s matchup with Sacramento with a designation of “left hamstring injury management.”
- Sixers forwards Kelly Oubre Jr. (left knee sprain) and Trendon Watford (left adductor strain), who have both been sidelined for over a month, are being “reintegrated into team activities,” the team announced on Monday (Twitter link via Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports). That update suggests they’re practicing again and should be close to returning. Asked if he’ll play during the 76ers’ three-game road trip that begins on Tuesday in Memphis, Watford was noncommittal, simply referring to himself as “day-to-day” (Twitter video link via Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer).
Doncic, Antetokounmpo Lead Early Fan Voting For All-Star Game
Lakers guard Luka Doncic and Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo lead the Western and Eastern Conferences, respectively, in the first returns of fan voting for the All-Star Game, according to the NBA (Twitter link).
Doncic leads all players with 1,249,518 votes. The top five vote-getters from the Western Conference also include Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, Warriors guard Stephen Curry, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama.
Joining Antetokounmpo among the top five in the Eastern Conference are Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey, Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, Pistons guard Cade Cunningham and Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell.
Fans voting represents 50% of the vote to determine the five players from each conference to be named as starters for the All-Star Game, with current NBA players and a media panel accounting for 25% each. This year, All-Stars are being selected without regard to position.
A newly-created, round-robin tournament featuring a USA vs. World format will be held Sunday, Feb. 15 at the Intuit Dome, the new home of the Clippers.
Sixers Notes: Embiid, Maxey, George, Beauchamp, Oubre
The Sixers are counting on Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George to be their team leaders, but they haven’t been on the court together long enough to build any kind of chemistry, writes Tony Jones of The Athletic. Friday’s game against Chicago marked just the fourth time this season that all three players have been available. They each turned in fine individual performances, but it wasn’t enough to prevent a 109-102 loss that gave them an 0-4 record in those games.
“I’d like to see them have 10, or 15, or 20 games together,” coach Nick Nurse said. “I think the issue here is that there have been so many injuries that there just hasn’t been enough time for them to get onto the floor together.”
Jones points out that the Sixers have to determine how they’re going to run the offense when Embiid, Maxey and George are on the floor at the same time. Embiid has been an offensive force throughout his career whose production has only been limited by his frequent injury issues. However, Maxey is one of the NBA’s top scorers this season at 30.8 PPG, and giving the ball to Embiid to operate in the post limits Maxey’s opportunities.
Jones adds that the Sixers were successful early in the season because they played at a fast pace with Maxey and rookie guard VJ Edgecombe leading the attack. Once Embiid began to play more regularly, the offense slowed down and that weapon was taken away.
“What’s tough is that we haven’t been able to have much practice time with all three of us on the floor,” Maxey said. “And that’s something we need to deal with because the games are different. They are much different. We missed a lot of shots that we know we should have made. Those things happen. But we have to figure it out, quick.”
There’s more on the Sixers:
- Embiid is coming off one of his best games of the season with 31 points and five rebounds in 32 minutes at Chicago. However, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer observes in a subscriber-only story that Embiid’s movement was limited due to pain in his right knee. Pompey believes the Bulls repeatedly targeted Embiid on defense, although Nurse disagreed. “I don’t know about that,” Nurse said. “I got to look at that first (on film). I thought he had some really good possessions by him defensively. But let me look at the film first before I comment. I don’t think that.”
- MarJon Beauchamp, who signed a two-way contract on Friday, feels fortunate that his latest NBA opportunity is coming with the Sixers, Pompey states in a separate story. “Guys are injured,” Beauchamp said. “I feel like I can help the team with my length, my defensive abilities, and my shooting abilities. I shot well in the G League this year. I feel like I can bring a lot to the team, and just my young energy, and bring good energy around the team. So I just feel like it’s a great opportunity.”
- Kelly Oubre Jr., who has been sidelined with a left knee ligament sprain since November 14, is getting “much closer” to returning, Jones tweets. Oubre was heavily involved in individual work at Saturday’s practice, Jones adds, focusing on starting and stopping and changing direction at full speed.
Sixers Sign MarJon Beauchamp To Two-Way Contract
DECEMBER 26: Beauchamp’s signing is official, the Sixers announced (via Twitter). Sallis, meanwhile, was waived on Wednesday, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.
DECEMBER 24: The Sixers are signing former first-round pick MarJon Beauchamp to a two-way contract, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that the team is waiving rookie guard Hunter Sallis to open up a two-way slot.
Beauchamp, 25, was the 24th overall pick in the 2022 draft. He played for the Bucks, Clippers, and Knicks from 2022-25, appearing in 135 total regular season games and averaging 4.1 points and 1.9 rebounds in 10.9 minutes per night.
Following brief stints with the Trail Blazers and Sixers during the preseason, Beauchamp joined Philadelphia’s G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats. He has averaged 20.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game with a .500/.452/.933 shooting line in seven appearances for Delaware during the Tip-Off Tournament and Winter Showcase.
Beauchamp also represented the U.S. national team in a pair of qualifying games for the 2027 FIBA World Cup a few weeks ago. The 6’7″ forward made a strong case for NBA consideration with his play vs. Nicaragua, setting a Team USA record by scoring 50 total points in those two qualifiers — he made 18-of-26 shots from the floor (69.2%), including 9-of-14 three-pointers (64.3%).
“Yeah, he’s gonna be in the NBA at some point, whether it’s tomorrow or later this year,” Stephen Silas, the head coach of the U.S. qualifying team, said at the time.
The 76ers will take advantage of Beauchamp’s final season of two-way eligibility by bringing him aboard alongside Dominick Barlow and Jabari Walker, two forwards who have been effective rotation players for Philadelphia so far this season.
It’s worth keeping an eye on the Sixers’ usage of their two-way players in the coming weeks. While a player on a full-season two-way contract like Barlow or Walker is permitted to be active for up to 50 total games, a team carrying fewer than 15 players on standard contracts is only allowed to use 90 total active games for its two-way players. Philadelphia, which has had a 14-man standard roster all season, has already used 58 two-way games so far: 28 for Walker, 18 for Barlow, and 12 for Sallis.
In other words, if the Sixers continue having two or three of their two-way players on their active roster for each game, they’ll need to add a 15th man at some point next month in order to ensure they’re no longer subject to that 90-game limit.
Beauchamp’s personal active-game limit for the Sixers will be a prorated portion of the usual 50. Assuming he officially signs on Wednesday, he’ll be able to suit up for the NBA team for up to 32 contests.
Jaren Jackson Jr., Jalen Brunson Named Players Of Week
Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. and Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson were named the Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, according to the NBA (Twitter links).
This marks the second career Player of the Week award for Jackson, who averaged 27.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 2.7 blocks in 32.7 minutes per game and led Memphis to a 2-1 record during the week of December 15-21.
Jackson recorded a season-high 31 points and five blocks in the Grizzlies’ 121-103 road win last Monday against the Clippers and followed that with 28 points, a season-high 12 rebounds and three blocks in Memphis’ 116-110 road victory on Wednesday against Minnesota.
Brunson racked up 31.3 points, 8.0 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game as the Knicks went 2-1 after their NBA Cup triumph. He had 47 points in the Knicks’ 132-125 win over Miami on Sunday.
It’s the second major individual award for Brunson over the past week. He was also named the MVP of the NBA Cup. He also becomes the first two-time Eastern Conference Player of the Week this season, having also earned the honor on December 1.
Deni Avdija and Shaedon Sharpe (Trail Blazers), Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert (Timberwolves), Keyonte George (Jazz), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder) and Nikola Jokic (Nuggets) were the other nominees for the Western Conference Player of the Week award.
Cade Cunningham (Pistons), Josh Giddey and Nikola Vucevic (Bulls), Kon Knueppel (Hornets), Tyrese Maxey (Sixers) and Derrick White (Celtics) were the other nominees in the East.
Sixers Notes: Walker, Edgecombe, Embiid, Barlow
Head coach Nick Nurse stuck with the same five players through the entire fourth quarter Saturday night in the Sixers‘ win over Dallas, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (subscription required). Reserve Jared McCain joined Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe in a three-guard lineup alongside backup big men Jabari Walker and Adem Bona. That group held the Mavericks to 30.4% shooting from the field in the final 12 minutes to reclaim control of a game that appeared to be slipping away in the third quarter.
Maxey had 16 points in the closing quarter, and Nurse believed all three guards were having a positive impact. He was also confident in the contributions he was getting from Walker and Bona.
“As far as the two bigs, I felt Jabari was playing (Cooper) Flagg super physical,” Nurse said. “And the other thing, we started doing some switching between the four and five. Jabari also would get switched onto (Anthony) Davis and was playing him physically to get him off the block and battle him. I don’t know how many rebounds Jabari got. But it sure seems like he snatched a bunch of them down there, that was also critical.”
Walker pulled down six of his eight rebounds in the fourth quarter while playing effective defense on Flagg, helping to hold the star rookie to four points in the quarter on 2-of-6 shooting. Walker, who has been a valuable contributor after signing a two-way contract during the summer, credited “a great scout report” for the defensive effort against Flagg.
“I think (Dominick Barlow) started off on him. Big credit to him,” Walker said. “He had a great night tonight, also. I want to show him some love with that. I think either one of us could have finished the game. We both understand that about each other. So, some games it is going to be (like that). So I just tried to feed off the energy he had tonight.”
There’s more on the Sixers:
- Saturday’s game featured two of the top selections in June’s draft, with Edgecombe (26 points, six rebounds, four assists), who was chosen at No. 3, slightly outperforming the top pick Flagg (24 points, four rebounds, three assists). Nurse marveled at the ability of both players to be able to contribute right away, Pompey states in the same piece. “The rookies that have impacted in a big way is really something,” he said. “Especially considering those two guys are really young. I guess they’re really good. I think most rookies, you will see flashes. You will see one great game, then six go by. These guys are starting to do it like night in, night out. And to me, that’s like what the NBA is.”
- Joel Embiid sat out both weekend games due to right knee injury management and an illness, Pompey adds. He’s now up to 16 missed games for the season and will almost certainly fall short of the 65-game requirement to qualify for postseason awards. “He just didn’t have a great week with the illness and a little bit of soreness in the right knee,” Nurse said. “And fortunately, we can get through the week and … get another couple of days, and hopefully get him going.”
- Barlow, another two-way offseason addition, was more aggressive than usual in attacking the basket against Dallas, observes Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports (subscription required). The fourth-year forward finished with 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting, taking advantage of his matchup with Klay Thompson and the Mavs’ defensive focus on Maxey. “If he’s scoring the ball the way he does, they’re gonna over-help on that. Or if they’re switching they’re not gonna worry as much about me as they are him, and that makes a lot of sense,” Barlow explained. “Just being aggressive on that, to make them where they have to respect me, guarding the ball, knowing that I will do that (drive), will make his life easier.”