Nick Nurse snaps at question about health of Joel Embiid, Paul George: ‘I‘m not going to answer’

The absence of Joel Embiid and Paul George has been a hot topic surrounding the 76ers — one coach Nick Nurse is tired of addressing.

Shortly after Tuesday’s practice, the Sixers released a statement on the availability of their two injured star players: “Joel Embiid and Paul George are out tomorrow vs. Detroit. They participated in portions of practice today, and will be reassessed later in the week.”

Nurse was asked during his media availability whether the duo took part in any live five-on-five scrimmaging at practice.

» READ MORE: Joel Embiid and Paul George will remain sidelined for Sixers’ game against Pistons

“You guys got the update,” Nurse said. “They were in parts of practice. On we go.”

A couple of minutes later, a reporter asked about Embiid’s plan to return.

“I’m not going to answer,” Nurse said before the question was finished. “They’ve given you the updates on that, right? They’ve given you the updates on Joel.”

Embiid hasn’t spoken to the media since he reiterated on Oct. 3 that he would be more proactive about managing his health this season. Requests for an interview with Embiid on Oct. 21 were not granted. George’s last interview was Oct. 14, the night he hyperextended his left knee.

As a result, Nurse has served as the team spokesman and fielded questions on the duo’s health and return status. With Embiid and George set to miss a fourth straight game on Wednesday, he apparently wants the focus to be on the available players.

Nurse did acknowledge that there has been collaboration between the team, doctors, and training staff to produce return-to-play plans for Embiid and George.

“Listen, it’s not that hard to be on the same page, right?” he said. “We want these guys to play, and we want them to be healthy, and we want them to play great. And we want them to play great all season, right?

“Then my main focus is I’ve got to do the job that I’ve got to do. I’ve got to try to get this team to play as good as it can tomorrow night. And that takes a big chunk of my focus. I’ll certainly work things in and do things as we go, but I’m just trying to concentrate on my job at hand.”

Before Tuesday, Embiid hadn‘t played in a game or competed in a five-on-five scrimmage during practice as he managed left knee injury recovery. But the 2023 league MVP was drenched in sweat when the media entered the gym following the team’s latest practice. He then sat down along a row of chairs and chatted with his pro skills coach Drew Hanlen.

Meanwhile, George was spotted in the parking lot of the Sixers practice facility with one of the team’s player development coaches. Like Embiid, he hadn’t participated in a five-on-five scrimmage during practice since his injury. The Sixers would like both players to be full participants in practice before they return to competition.

» READ MORE: Joel Embiid assessed technical foul for waving towel on sidelines of Sixers victory

They could accomplish that later this week.

The Sixers (1-2) should have a good chance of defeating the Pistons without Embiid and George. Detroit dropped to 0-4 after Monday’s 106-98 road loss to the Miami Heat. The Pistons rank 26th in the league in scoring (106.5) and 24th (22.0) in assists. After Wednesday’s game, the Sixers will have two days of practice before entertaining the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night.

Former Sixer Tobias Harris, one of Detroit’s big free-agent signees, has struggled during his second stint with the Pistons.

The power forward is averaging 10 points and shooting 34.1% from the field and 17.6% from three. This comes after he averaged 17.2 points and shot 48.7% overall and 35.3% on three-pointers last season with the Sixers.

Despite those numbers, Harris was disliked in Philly because fans felt he didn’t live up to the five-year, $180 million contract he signed on July 10, 2019.

» READ MORE: The Sixers’ supporting cast showed up against Indiana. They vow to ‘to continue to get better.’

“Well, obviously, a rocky year last year. A rocky tenure, to be honest,” Nurse said. “But coaching against him, going into it we always had to game plan for him and he always did a bunch of different things. He did the same for us last year. The weight of whatever was going on about his contract and his play, and did it match up? … All that kind of stuff wasn’t much fun to be a part of.

“Really good guy who was a great pro and tried really hard, worked really hard, and produced a lot. I really like him. I like him as a person. I like him as a player.”