Slowly but steadily, the Sixers are beginning to turn their season around. Although there’s still a long way to go, they ended the year strong with four straight wins. And they would’ve been hoping to carry that momentum to tonight’s clash against the Kings. Unfortunately, that might not be the case anymore because the latest update on Kelly Oubre Jr.’s availability, amidst other stars’ absence, could really jeopardize their winning streak.

Yes, Oubre has been ruled out for tonight’s game. Reason? A left-hand sprain. Well, this is concerning news for the team since Tsunami Papi has not missed a game so far this season. He has been in solid form, averaging 12.8 points and nearly six rebounds.

What’s worse is that Oubre joins the list of a long line of injured players for the Sixers. Obviously, the biggest name is Joel Embiid, who will not suit up tonight because of rest purposes. That’s because he is likely to play tomorrow’s clash against the Warriors, and he is living by his word of “never playing back-to-back games” for the remainder of his career.

All this to not re-aggravate his knee injury and keep him healthy for the entire season. However, Joel has been a key reason why the Sixers have won their last four games. He has averaged 26.2 points during that span. And his absence will leave a major void tonight, which could lead to his team’s loss…

Apart from the two stars, Kyle Lowry (hip), Eric Gordon (mouth), and Andre Drummond (toe) are all questionable to play. Meanwhile, KJ Martin (foot) and rookie Jared McCain (knee) continue to remain out. Surely, the Sixers will face a major depth issue with so many players dealing with injury. Amid the team’s struggles, veteran leader Paul George is trying to do his part to help as he was seen giving some words of wisdom to injured rookie Jared McCain.

Paul George has advice for Jared McCain after “Welcome to the NBA” moment

Although Kelly Oubre Jr. and Joel Embiid are out for tonight, they are likely to return to action soon. But one Sixers star who might be done for the year is Jared McCain. Yes, he was having a stellar season, averaging 15.3 points. And the young gun was also expected to take home the Rookie of the Year trophy. But a meniscus tear in his knee might have put his season to an early end.

As Jared recovers from surgery, veteran leader Paul George had some wise words for him, “I saw him in the training room before he had the surgery. Man, I was just like, ‘This is the real welcome to the NBA, man.’ Dealing with your first injury and how do you respond after that?” Obviously, PG’s gone through his fair share of gruesome injuries. And he has come out stronger every single time.

He continued, “The chase is back on to finding who you are when you left the game and if you can be better than that person when you left the game. It can be dark.” Hopefully, Jared McCain will come out of it stronger.

Meanwhile, Nick Nurse will be looking for ways to keep the Sixers’ momentum going. And that starts with defeating the Sactown side tonight despite Kelly Oubre Jr, Joel Embiid, and other key stars’ absence. Do you think the 76ers can pull it off?