PHILADELPHIA — As the Philadelphia 76ers take on the Orlando Magic on Monday night, they will be short-handed with Joel Embiid out due to load management. When considering this is the first night of a back-to-back–the Sixers will face the Washington Wizards on Tuesday–it makes sense for Philadelphia to hold the big fella out.
As the Sixers prepare to face a tough and physical Magic team, one has to assume Jabari Walker will take on a bigger role. Especially, when considering both Embiid and Dominick Barlow will be out for this contest. Barlow is out due to a right elbow laceration, and Walker started the second half for him in Saturday’s win over the Charlotte Hornets.
“Nothing really changed,” Walker said of his mindset. “Honestly, the goal was to be impactful and play around Tyrese (Maxey( and Joel, so just trying to make things easier for those guys. That’s the mindset.”
He will have to do the same against the Magic. Walker, who is in his fourth season in the NBA, is ready to make an impact on the floor in place of Embiid and Barlow. Nothing changes for the big man out of Colorado.
“No, honestly,” Walker said succinctly. “Just maybe help on the glass a little bit more, because Jo’s a glass presence, obviously. So, besides that? No.”
The Sixers have been a close-knit group throughout this process of preparing for the new season and in the early part. They have pushed each other to improve and have challenged each other for the better. Walker knows he just has to fill in for Barlow and Embiid to help Philadelphia move forward.
“We’ve all competed against each other in practice, and some guys have gotten better of others some days,” Walker added. “So we’re all very confident in each other, and some guys that didn’t play came in at the end of the game and impacted it. I think that’s the type of team we have. So whenever somebody gets their name called, we’re all behind each other, and whoever’s night it is that night, we’re just gonna flow with him.”
As far as the Magic are concerned, they offer up a challenge for the Sixers with the bigs they’re missing. Therefore, Walker and Co. will have to rise to the challenge they have at 7 p.m. EDT on Monday.
“I think it’s a great challenge for us,” Walker finished. “They have size at all positions, so I think it’s a matchup that’s a little different than what we’ve seen so far. So it’s a good test.”
