Even amidst the Philadelphia 76ers’ excitedly productive start to the 2025-26 regular season, some injury issues have persisted. As the Sixers now prepare for the second leg of a back-to-back tonight in the nation’s
capital, they’ll get some much-needed fresh legs added to the rotation.
Watford appeared in 44 games last season for Brooklyn, averaging 10.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists. He signed a deal with the Sixers towards the beginning of free agency, and as the roster shook out, many expected him to start at the power forward spot for Philadelphia heading into the season. Then he suffered a hamstring injury in training camp and missed the team’s entire preseason and first three regular season games. We hadn’t heard any murmurs about Watford’s return being imminent, so his suddenly being fit to play is a nice surprise.
Although we all expected Joel Embiid to rejoin the lineup after sitting out last night’s win over Orlando for load management reasons, Dominick Barlow remains out due an elbow laceration. Watford will be a welcome addition to the frontcourt rotation, particularly considering everyone outside of Embiid played last night. Here’s the full injury report from the team:
We’ll see if Watford gets thrown right into the starting lineup, or whether Nick Nurse eases him in for his season debut. The Sixers take on the Wizards at 7:00pm, who have started the season 1-2, most recently losing to Charlotte, 139-113, on Sunday. The vibes have been tremendous for Philadelphia to start the season, and Watford’s return should only add to the fun.
