SALT LAKE CITY -- And then there was one.
After the Sixers constructed a roster deep at the position, T.J. McConnell is the only healthy point guard available to play Friday against the Nuggets.
Sergio Rodriguez suffered a sprained left ankle in Thursday's loss to the Jazz (see Instant Replay) and will miss the next game. Jerryd Bayless underwent season-ending wrist surgery this month. Ben Simmons, who the Sixers intend to play point, has yet to suit up this season.
That leaves McConnell, who was intended to be third on the depth chart, as the starter. Shooting guard Nik Stauskas will receive backup point guard responsibilities.
"I'm going to do pretty much everything I've tried to do the whole year -- run the team, shoot when I'm open, try to play solid defense," McConnell said.
The Sixers found themselves in this position on Dec. 11 against the Pistons. Rodriguez was sidelined and McConnell stepped in with a monster 12-point, 10-rebound, nine-assist performance as a starter. The Sixers won that game easily, 97-79.
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"In a twisted kind of way, I look forward to it," Brett Brown said. "Our most recent memory of this same situation was a good one in Detroit. It probably was our best game we played all year. So we'll try to do our best to repeat that."
As for Rodriguez, it has yet to be determined how long he will be out with the ankle sprain.
"I got lucky nothing is broke. We'll see how long it takes," he said.
While the Sixers have a clear plan for their point guards, the frontcourt pairing against the Nuggets is uncertain. At the start of this road trip, Brown said the Sixers would pair Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor in the starting lineup through the end of the calendar year (see story). The Sixers have struggled with that duo, though. They also are winless in this road series.
"I'm not sure. We'll figure that out," Brown said of a potential pairing on Friday. "I feel like when you study the numbers, look at the gut feel, it has not been at the moment successful. I want to make sure we do the right thing by the team, put the team in the best situation where we can win our last game on a holiday road trip. We'll make that decision more as we study it."
