Credit: B/R
Philadelphia 76ers superstar center Joel Embiid clapped back at his detractors Friday while working toward making his season debut.
According to Noah Levick of NBC Sports Philadelphia, Embiid said he is “trending in the right way,” and expects to be back in the lineup “pretty soon” after missing the Sixers’ first four games of the season due to left knee injury management.
Embiid also had a message for those who have claimed he doesn’t actually want to play, calling the narrative “bulls–t.”
Both Embiid and wing Paul George, who also has yet to play for the 76ers this season due to a knee ailment, practiced in full Friday and took part in five-on-five scrimmages, per Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
There isn’t yet a timeline for the return of Embiid or George, but they were both ruled out for Saturday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies, according to Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports.
As dominant as Embiid has been for much of his career, he has often been slowed down by injuries.
In addition to missing each of his first two NBA seasons in their entirety, the seven-time All-Star has appeared in 51 or fewer games in a season four other times, including last season.
On the heels of being named NBA MVP in 2023 by virtue of averaging a league-leading 33.1 points per game, a torn meniscus in his left knee limited the 7-footer to only 39 regular-season games during the 2023-24 campaign.
Embiid was excellent when healthy, averaging 34.7 points, 11.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.7 blocks, 1.4 three-pointers made and 1.2 steals per game, but he clearly wasn’t the same player after returning from the injury.
In six playoff games, Embiid averaged 33.0 points and 10.8 rebounds, however, he shot only 44.4 percent from the field, which is well below his career regular-season mark of 50.4 percent.
Despite being less than 100 percent, Embiid played for Team USA at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, helping lead the Americans to a gold medal.
Embiid took on a secondary role behind the likes of LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant in Paris, though, and head coach Steve Kerr was careful with his usage, even opting to sit him for one of Team USA’s games.
Coming out of training camp and the preseason, the Sixers clearly didn’t believe Embiid was fully healthy yet, so the decision was made to take a cautious approach with him.
Once the 76ers held Embiid out of their lineup to start the 2024-25 season, the NBA launched an investigation into the Sixers’ handling of Embiid.
The NBA determined that comments made by 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and head coach Nick Nurse were “inconsistent with Joel Embiid’s health status and in violation of NBA rules,” so the organization was fined $100,000.
Despite making seven straight playoff appearances, the 76ers have not made it past the second round during that stretch, so they go aggressive during the offseason by signing George to play alongside Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
If that trio is healthy come playoff time, the 76ers could be the Eastern Conference team with the best chance of knocking off the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics.
Slow playing Embiid early in the season may be the Sixers’ best hope of keeping him healthy for the stretch run, and they are taking their lumps right now for doing so.
Philly is off to a 1-3 start, and if Embiid and George remain out for too much longer, the 76ers may have a significant hole to dig out of in terms of playoff positioning.
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