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As James Harden is sidelined with foot strain, Sixers will lean heavily on Tyrese Maxey, Shake Milton

"You take a big chunk out, a piece of the cake like James, it’s still going to be hard," third-year guard Tyrese Maxey said. "But we’ve still got to go out there and compete and trust each other.”

The Sixers' Tyrese Maxey throws a pass in a game against the Wizards. He will gain more responsibility in James Harden's absence.
The Sixers' Tyrese Maxey throws a pass in a game against the Wizards. He will gain more responsibility in James Harden's absence.Read moreSteven M. Falk / Staff Photographer

Tyrese Maxey sent a text to James Harden to check in on his teammate and friend. Shake Milton also reached out.

And then, the 76ers’ guards needed to move forward. Friday was their first full day navigating life without their perennial All-Star, starting with shootaround in preparation for their game against the New York Knicks.

That’s the Sixers’ reality for the foreseeable future, as Harden nurses a strained foot tendon. The Sixers say the 33-year-old guard will be re-evaluated in two weeks, though a source confirmed to The Inquirer on Thursday that Harden is expected to miss about a month after averaging 22 points, 10 assists (which ranked second in the NBA entering Friday), and seven rebounds in his first nine games.

“You feel for a guy like that, who worked extremely hard this summer to get back to where he’s been in the past,” Maxey said of Harden, who had battled hamstring troubles for parts of the previous two seasons. “His pride to be that guy again, you could tell he was becoming that. He was playing that way.”

» READ MORE: James Harden expected to miss a month after suffering a right foot tendon strain

Maxey and Milton are among players whose roles are expected to shift in Harden’s absence.

Maxey, who entered Friday averaging 24.2 points per game on 51.6% shooting, will move back to a similar lead ballhandler position that he held to start last season before the blockbuster trade with the Brooklyn Nets to acquire Harden. Maxey will be tasked with balancing that aggressive scoring with a bit more facilitating and helping teammates get the ball in their favorite spots on the floor.

Milton, who has played in shorter bursts during the Sixers’ past four games after beginning the season out of the rotation, is in line to see a minutes uptick that he expects will help him gain rhythm. De’Anthony Melton and Furkan Korkmaz also are ballhandling options.

Yet Maxey stressed that one player cannot solely make up for Harden’s impact as a scorer and distributor for a Sixers team off to an inconsistent 4-5 start.

“I’m not James Harden,” Maxey said. “Shake’s not James Harden. Furk’s not James. We’ve just got to go out there and collectively try to make up for what he brought to the table and try to win games.

“We still have a deep roster. … Of course, you take a big chunk out, a piece of the cake like James, it’s still going to be hard. But we’ve still got to go out there and compete and trust each other.”

Embiid, House ruled out for Knicks game with non-COVID illness; Thybulle available to play

Joel Embiid will miss his third consecutive game with a non-COVID illness, while defensive wing Matisse Thybulle (right ankle sprain) is available to play against the Knicks.

Embiid’s illness, which coach Doc Rivers has described as flu-like symptoms, appears to be spreading through the Sixers’ locker room. Reserve wing Danuel House Jr. was a late addition to Friday’s injury report for the same reason, then officially was ruled out about 30 minutes before tipoff.

The Sixers will start Montrezl Harrell at center in Embiid’s place, and also will start Melton in the spot vacated by Harden alongside Maxey, Tobias Harris, and P.J. Tucker.

Embiid was listed as questionable entering Friday’s game and was not on the floor at the Sixers’ practice facility when Friday’s shootaround opened to the media. Maxey played it coy when asked if the All-NBA center had participated in the team workout after dealing with with flu-like symptoms. Embiid, though, was spotted entering the Sixers’ locker room at the Wells Fargo Center about 45 minutes before Friday’s tipoff.

“He may be in here,” Maxey said with a smile following shootaround. “I don’t know. He’s 7-foot-2. … I’m here!”

» READ MORE: Doc Rivers believes NBA officials should show Sixers’ Tyrese Maxey more respect: ‘That has to get called’

Following Harden’s injury, Embiid’s eventual return should provide a significant lift. The back-to-back MVP runner-up is averaging 27.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game. But he also will need to continue regathering his conditioning after dealing with plantar fasciitis in the lead-up to training camp before his illness.