The Philadelphia 76ers continue their preseason campaign with a trip to New York City to take on the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night, and they will still be without Joel Embiid.

The Sixers are 0-2 in the preseason so far, but were anticipating getting a huge, 7-foot boost to face the Nets with Embiid having been expected to make his preseason debut on Monday, per head coach Nick Nurse.

Well, something must have changed between now and then. Embiid is now officially OUT for Monday night’s preseason matchup. No official reason has been reported at this time.

The reigning NBA MVP has yet to make an appearance in the preseason for the Sixers. This was thought to be fans’ first chance to see what Nurse might have planned for the big man this season, and how the offense will operate around him, but that will have to wait until at least Friday when the Sixers host their final preseason game.

James Harden is also out Monday, with the goal being to see The Beard begin his year for the Sixers in the preseason finale Friday hosting the Atlanta Hawks. Danuel House will miss this one, as well as Furkan Korkmaz, scratched as he continues to recover from a leg strain.

So far this preseason we’ve seen promising performances from Jaden Springer, Paul Reed and Kelly Oubre Jr., and will be watching closely to see how they continue to develop within the Sixers’ system. Of course, it’s just preseason, but there have been impressive flashes of play from a number of the young guys on this squad as we continue toward the regular season tip-off. They, along with Tyrese Maxey, will get another chance to control the floor and strut their stuff without Embiid commanding the ball.

For the Nets, a lot of eyes will be on Ben Simmons to see how his training has gone over the past few months as he faces off against his former team. Nets head coach Jacques Vaughn played Simmons and other starters a bit in their first postseason outing already, so also expect to see Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and Spencer Dinwiddie — again, however, we expect a bulk of the attention being paid to Simmons and how he fares against his former team. In Brooklyn’s preseason loss to the Los Angeles Lakers last week, Simmons scored 10 points with three assists and a rebound in 14 minutes on the floor.

The Sixers and Nets tip off at 7:30 p.m. EST in Brooklyn.

Game Details

Who: Philadelphia 76ers at. Brooklyn Nets
When: 7:30 PM EST, Monday, Oct. 16
Where: Barclays Center, New York, NY
Watch: NBA TV
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Follow: @LibertyBallers