Sixers Provide Exciting Update On Joel Embiid’s Injury

For years, the Philadelphia 76ers have gone as far as Joel Embiid has taken them.

Its not just because the former third overall pick is a seven-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA selection, three-time All-Defensive selection, two-time scoring champion and 2023 NBA MVP; a Hall of Fame talent .

Hes capable of scoring from every area of the floor, using his scoring gravity to create for his teammates, and using his physical gifts to dominate in the paint.

In other words, hes the teams offensive engine and defensive anchor.

Consequently, the Sixers simply havent shown that they can win consistently when he isnt available.

In fact, theyre just 104-163 without Embiid since his rookie season but 295-157 with him.

Thats why any update on his injury status has people on edge.

Things Look Good For Sixers Centerpiece Joel Embiid This week, 76ers head coach Nick Nurse agreed to an exclusive interview with talkSports reporter Brian T.

Smith.

The most significant quote provided insight into Embiids recovery process.

Underneath the 2020 NBA Coach of the Years optimism was a sobering nugget about the 31-year-olds training camp availability.

I know hes working very, very hard and I think things look good , Nurse tells Smith.

Whether hes ready for training camp or not, I think theres maybe a lot more decisions than that to make before we get there.

But our main thing is that hes healthy to play and play to his nearest capabilities, because hes awesome, no doubt about that.

A Walk Down Surgery Lane The Initial Injury Embiid has played just 58 games over the past two seasons due to myriad injuries.

The most significant of these was a meniscus tear he suffered in Jan.

2024 when Golden State Warriors restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga was going for a loose ball .

After he underwent knee surgery , Embiid returned to the court in April.

The Re-Aggravation & Resolution Then he seemingly exacerbated the injury in the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

Surprisingly, he decided to play for Team USA in the Paris Olympics that summer, putting even more strain on his knee.

At no point after his return did he ever truly look like himself.

The general consensus is that he didnt give himself proper time to heal.

His knee was such a problem that heading into the 2024-25 season he planned to stop playing both legs of back-to-backs for the rest of his career.

Embiid then skipped out on preseason and missed the first nine games of the regular season.

In the first 15 games he played, he averaged 24.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.0 block per contest.

However, he was moving gingerly, if not timidly.

This contributed to him shooting just 45.4 percent from the field, a woeful number for a true seven-footer.

The Follow-Up Surgery Hed soon admit that he needed another surgery .

Philadelphia decided to shut him down for the season two weeks later.

After considering radical treatments to preserve his career , Embiid opted for an arthroscopic surgery , a more commonplace procedure.

Entering the offseason, he told ESPNs Dotun Akintoye: Were not going to push anything .

We dont have a timeline...

Hopefully, sooner rather than later.

The Last Word On Sports Following Day 1 of the 2025 NBA Draft, 76ers president Daryl Morey said that Embiid was on track to be ready for training camp (h/t the Associated Press).

In mid-July, The Athletics Tony Jones reported that Embiid hadnt yet returned to full on-court basketball activities .

However, he had resumed partial basketball activities...

As a result, Morey and Co.

have remained optimistic their face of the franchise will be ready for the 2025-26 season opener.

Per the NBAs schedule release, that evening will see the Sixers facing their division rival; the Boston Celtics.

With all due respect, none of this matters if Embiid doesnt look like himself though.

Its one thing for him to be medically cleared.

Its another for him to be able to dominate possession after possession, night after night..

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