Sixers’ Joel Embiid, Paul George out Saturday vs. Grizzlies, despite being full participants at practice

Joel Embiid and Paul George will miss the Philadelphia 76ers game on Saturday against the Memphis Grizzlies. It was previously reported that Embiid could return as early as Saturday after missing the first four games of the regular season and all of preseason, but the 76ers big man confirmed at practice on Friday that he will remain out on Saturday. 

That pushes the earliest for Embiid’s debut to Monday, which is a road game against the Phoenix Suns.

Embiid has been listed as out with “left knee injury management” for the 76ers’ first four games: a 124-109 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, a 115-107 loss to the Toronto Raptors, a 118-114 overtime win over the Indiana Pacers and a 105-95 loss to the Detroit Pistons. On Friday, he spoke with the media and clapped back at the criticism that he doesn’t want to play.

George, who has been dealing with a bone bruise in his left knee since the preseason, will also be sidelined this weekend.

The silver lining is that both Embiid and George were full participants in Friday’s practice, which means a return for both could be around the corner. With Saturday’s game ruled out as an option for Embiid, that means he could perhaps return during Philadelphia’s upcoming road trip, which features games against the Suns, Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers.

The NBA fined Philadelphia on Tuesday for public statements that were inconsistent with Embiid’s health status.

Without Embiid and George, the Sixers have scored 106.5 possessions this season with a minus-7.2 net rating, both of which rank No. 26 in the league. They have shot a league-worst 27.7% from 3-point range and have yet to record 20 assists in a game. (Every other team is averaging at least 20 assists.)

In an effort to keep Embiid and George healthy for the postseason, Philadelphia has pledged to take a cautious approach this season. “We’re going to be smart about it,” Morey told ESPN’s Tim Bontemps earlier this month. “Part of being smart about it is having both Paul and Joel probably not play many back-to-backs, if any.” 

Embiid added, “If I had to guess, I would probably never play back-to-backs the rest of my career.”

ESPN’s Shams Charania said on “SportsCenter” that Embiid’s extended ramp-up process is “a part of what has been described to me as the new normal for Joel Embiid. That’s going to include periodic time off at different points during the season. It’s going to include routine checkups on his knee over the course of the season.”