Jared McCain Demoted & Joel Embiid Remains Injured - 76 Place

Following a clutch 102-100 win over the Boston Celtics Tuesday night, the Sixers made a few interesting announcements on Thursday. The biggest two: Jared McCain has been sent to the Delaware Bluecoats - the Sixers G League affiliate - and Joel Embiid will not play in Friday night's contest in Detroit, marking his third straight absence.

Since Jared McCain returned from the thumb injury that kept him sidelined to start the season, he has been less than impressive. In three games, the sophomore from Duke has not scored a single point and just hasn't looked himself. The Sixers announced he will be sent down to their G League affiliate Bluecoats to "get some trips up and down the court," as head coach Nick Nurse put it.

It's a wise move for McCain's development, considering he clearly wasn't ready to return just yet. After playing 15 minutes in his season debut against the Bulls, he missed the next two games, before playing just 9 and 7 minutes against the Pistons and Celtics, respectively. McCain is expected to be a vital part of the Sixers second unit this season, but not if he plays the way he has.

The demotion will hopefully serve as a method for McCain to get back on track and provide some value to this team. Speaking of providing value to the team, one player who doesn't seem to be doing that anytime soon is Joel Embiid. Embiid, who missed Tuesday night's game due to "right knee soreness" (despite having off from Sunday's game), will not be playing Friday night either. Embiid's tenure in the NBA has been terribly frustrating for Sixers fans and that trend will continue. This is par for the course when it comes to the seven footer, as it feels like every season he has a seemingly minor injury that turns into an extended absence. This one feels no different.

In other injury news, Dominick Barlow - who missed multiple weeks due to a cut on his elbow - is expected to be available Friday night. The corpse of Paul George - who is yet to play a game this season - continues to recover from his knee surgery and is said to be in the "final stages," nearing a return soon. If George can even be remotely similar to the player he once was, it could be huge for the Sixers. Teams have begun to figure out VJ Edgecombe and his offensive game has been lacking in a major way lately. A George return could signal a move to the bench for the rookie from Baylor and before you know it, a bench unit of Quentin Grimes-Jared McCain-VJ Edgecombe-Jabari Walker-Adem Bona could be really strong.