Philadelphia 76ers Injury Report (January 12): Are Joel Embiid and Robert Covington close to returning?

Joel Embiid remains out of the Philadelphia 76ers rotation heading into their home game against the Sacramento Kings on Friday. The reigning MVP is dealing with left knee inflammation and has missed six of the Sixers' last eight games. Robert Covington also remains sidelined due to knee inflammation.

According to Sixers coach Nick Nurse, the swelling is no longer a concern for Embiid, and there's hope that he could play the Kings. With the big man now ruled out of the game, he could return against the Houston Rockets on Monday.

No timeline has been provided for Covington's return to the rotation. As such, he will likely remain on the injury report and be assessed by the medical staff in the coming days.

Nevertheless, Joel Embiid's absence is the bigger issue for Philadelphia. Without him, the Sixers are without their star player, and their entire style of play changes so that Tyrese Maxey can thrive in a higher usage role. Philadelphia is 2-4 without Embiid in their rotation during his ongoing injury-enforced absence.

With the All-Star break starting to appear on the horizon, Embiid will get an additional period of rest throughout the break. That will likely help him manage any potential injury concerns over his knee being re-aggravated on his return.

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The Philadelphia 76ers can build around Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey

If we've learned anything about the Philadelphia 76ers this season, they already have their star duo on the roster.

Tyrese Maxey has thrived since moving into a bigger role following James Harden's departure to the LA Clippers. There's a budding two-man game between Maxey and Joel Embiid, which has been causing opposing defenses problems all season.

As such, the Sixers are unlikely to go shopping for a secondary star ahead of the trade deadline or in the summer. Instead, Daryl Morey will likely look for a star who can complement what the Sixers already have in their roster. The idea will be to elevate the talent on the roster while also ensuring any new additions get their opportunity to shine in Nick Nurse's system.

It will be interesting to see how Morey looks to add some complementary talent around Joel Embiid and Maxey and how those additions change the outlook of the team's offensive and defensive system.

For now, though, the Sixers are among the genuine contenders in the Eastern Conference. Nurse's egalitarian offensive system has breathed new life into the rotation, and the 76ers are thriving under the additional freedom.

Nevertheless, the Eastern Conference is top-heavy this year, so the Sixers will face a tough task to make the NBA Finals.