CAMDEN, N.J. — The Sixers’ final practice before their last preseason game did not include James Harden.
A Sixers official said early Thursday afternoon that Harden is away from the team due to a personal matter.
The day prior, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse had said he was surprised by Harden’s absence. He continued to emphasize that the situation is fluid.
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“I think it’s unlikely that he plays tomorrow,” Nurse said, “but again, you never know what tomorrow morning may bring and we’ll see.”
A month or so after Nurse became the Sixers’ new coach, Harden exercised his player option and requested a trade. Though Harden reported to training camp on Day 2 and participated in practices until Wednesday, he didn’t play in the Sixers’ first three preseason games and has stayed firm in viewing his relationship with Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey as irreparable.
A deal between the Sixers and Clippers hasn’t yet materialized; The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported Wednesday that Los Angeles is still unwilling to include Terance Mann in its offer.
“It’s been ongoing for a long time now — even summer and fall workouts, training camp, etc.,” Nurse said. “So again, I don’t want to keep saying the same thing every day, but I’ve got a job to do with the guys that are here and we just go to work. If that changes, we’ll adjust. That’s what we do.”
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Tyrese Maxey struck the same tone.
“There’s personal stuff that he has,” Maxey said. “We’re just focusing on who’s here right now. We’ve got a game in seven days. … That’s what we’re focusing on right now, man. We’re trying to focus on getting better every single day. Whoever’s in the gym, we’ve got a game (ahead) and we’ve got a job to do.”
As far as the preseason game Friday night against the Hawks, Nurse agreed with the notion that the Sixers will treat it like a dress rehearsal.
He indicated that Joel Embiid and Furkan Korkmaz are on track to make their preseason debuts. Embiid was “under the weather” for the Sixers’ win Monday over the Nets, according to Nurse, but the All-Star big man said Wednesday he was “good” and planned to play against Atlanta. Korkmaz had been out with a left hamstring injury.
“Some of the veteran guys need more minutes for conditioning, so we can do that," Nurse said. “There’s the Furk situation, where he hasn’t played at all, and we need to see him. However, we probably don’t want to overdo it, since he’s coming off an injury. But I do need to see him and evaluate him for sure.
“We’ll see how many minutes Joel ends up needing tomorrow as well. So I think there’s still some things to play out here. … I see minutes going up for the Tyreses and (Tobias Harris) and those kind of guys — and (De’Anthony Melton) — a little bit more. I think that’s just natural that we’ll continue to ramp those guys up. But there’s a little bit of a feel to it tomorrow night for certain guys.”
Though Maxey left Monday’s game with back spasms, he expressed no concern moving forward.
“I’m fine,” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with me. I’m young, I heal fast and I’m great.”
Maxey was positive about the non-physical side of playing without Harden, too.
Two seasons ago, Ben Simmons’ absence led to Maxey becoming the Sixers’ starting point guard. That transition wasn't easy or comfortable.
“Way different,” he said. “It’s no comparison, honestly. That time, I just wasn’t prepared for it. I was prepared basketball-wise but mentally, I was not prepared for the way to handle it. It came with a responsibility. I was just trying to maintain, honestly. … I wasn’t being myself at the beginning of the season. ... For Joel to succeed, the other four guys on the court have to be extremely aggressive as well because that takes some of the pressure off him.
“I feel like now, my confidence is really high. I feel like mentally, I’m prepared for whatever it is. And then my skills have developed a lot. Confidence, man. Confidence is a real thing. I use my voice a lot in practice now.
“I guess I’m getting old, you could say. My birthday’s in a month, so I’ll be 23. I just feel more confident going out there, using my skills and performing. I know that Joel trusts me and I know that Coach Nurse and the team trust me.”