Injuries are obviously a tough subject for every NBA team, but Philadelphia 76ers fans are particularly sensitive to the issue. They watch their franchise constantly endure health questions, to the point where it is hard to ever set high expectations. Misfortune struck inside Xfinity Mobile Arena once again, as Trendon Watford was forced to exit Tuesday's NBA Cup game versus the Orlando Magic after suffering an apparent groin injury, per The Athletic's Tony Jones.
The undrafted forward has worked hard to establish himself as a rotational player over the last couple of years, so it is tough to see him leave the court in obvious pain. He was helped to the locker room after scoring eight points in 11 minutes for Philly and was eventually ruled out for the rest of the contest with a left abductor strain.
Considering the 76ers were down 86-60 going into halftime (that's right, 86!), they cannot afford to lose any more productive players. Joel Embiid, Paul George and VJ Edgecombe are all sidelined for this NBA Cup battle, so victory already seemed unattainable. Point guard Jalen Suggs was ejected shortly after Watford left, but one lucky break is not going to be enough for Philadelphia to overcome this much adversity.
The Sixers will need to dig deep and probably go unconscious from 3-point range if they have any chance of mounting a comeback versus a formidable Orlando squad. Beyond this specific matchup, though, the concern is that Trendon Watford sustained a serious injury. Hopefully, the 25-year-old gets some good news before night's end.
Watford is averaging 9.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists through 13 games this season.
