Isaiah Joe has entered the NBA's health and safety protocols and the Sixers are testing the entire team for COVID-19 out of precaution before Thursday night's scheduled game against the Pistons, a source confirmed to NBC Sports Philadelphia. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the news.
Joe played five first-half minutes Wednesday during the Sixers' win over the Bulls.
Players in the NBA's protocols can return either after a minimum of 10 days or after returning two consecutive negative PCR tests at least 24 hours apart.
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It's not known what percentage of Sixers have been vaccinated against COVID-19, though Sixers head coach Doc Rivers said on media day, "It's not a concern — for us. I can’t say (for) other teams, but we are very, very, very good, let me put it that way."
The Sixers have a handful of players sidelined in addition to Joe. Tobias Harris entered the league's protocols Monday night. Rivers said Wednesday the 29-year-old is doing "OK but not great, honestly." The team is also down Danny Green (left hamstring tightness), Ben Simmons (personal reasons) and Grant Riller (left knee injury recovery). Rookies Jaden Springer and Aaron Henry have been with the Delaware Blue Coats ahead of the G League season.
Furkan Korkmaz was listed as questionable with right wrist soreness, while Joel Embiid (questionable — right knee injury recovery) was added to the injury report at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Joe was a preseason bright spot for the Sixers, averaging 16.8 points and exhibiting an expanded offensive game, along with strong defensive fundamentals. He appeared in seven of the Sixers' first eight regular-season games, posting 2.0 points per contest in limited playing time.
NBA
The second-year guard's first extended NBA minutes came last season in January when the Sixers were severely shorthanded due largely to health and safety-related absences. He played 36.6 minutes per night over a three-game stretch, 45 in a Jan. 9 loss to the Nuggets when the Sixers only had seven healthy players.