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Sixers’ star big man, Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid‘s Philadelphia 76ers‘ career has largely been defined by injury. Whether it’s been his back, his knees, or a shorter-lived ailment, the Sixers former MVP has struggled to remain healthy.
Over the past two seasons, Embiid has suited up for 58 regular-season games out of a possible 164, which is roughly a 35% availability rate. There’s also no guarantee that Embiid will be healthy to begin the new season. Nor can we guarantee he will remain healthy throughout the campaign.
It’s for those reasons that Jeff Teague isn’t sold on the idea that Embiid is a future lock for the basketball Hall of Fame. During a recent episode of his “Club 520” podcast, Teague explained why Embiid may struggle to cement his name among the basketball legends.
“It ain’t matter, just get your chicken, brother,” Teague said. “He’s done after these three years for sure… “(He) missed so many games, though. Missed years; he missed three years. He missed his whole first year or something. That boy ain’t never played 70 games. He might not make the Hall of Fame, bro. How many points he scored?… 12,000 ain’t that many, I scored 10 (thousand).”
Embiid is currently recovering from his second meniscus surgery in 12 months, having reportedly undergone the procedure in April.
Sixers’ Head Coach Provides New Embiid Update
Head coach Nick Nurse provided an update on the former MVP’s recovery during an August 13 appearance on TalkSport Radio during his trip to Manchester, England, as part of the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders program.
“All the news is positive,” Nurse told Brian T. Smith of talkSPORT. “I know he’s working very, very hard, and I think things look good. Whether he’s ready for training camp or not, I think there’s maybe a lot more decisions than that to make before we get there. But our main thing is that he’s healthy to play and play to his best capabilities, because he’s awesome, no doubt about that.”
If Embiid isn’t ready for training camp, it’s likely he will miss the start of the new season, too. After all, once he’s back on the court, he must rebuild his conditioning. Otherwise, he will run the risk of reaggravating his injury, which would be a disaster for both himself and the franchise.
Embiid Is Yet to Return to On-Court Workouts
According to a July 12 report from The Athletic’s Tony Jones, Embiid has yet to begin on-court basketball activities.
“It’s been almost a year and a half since the knee injury he suffered at Golden State derailed him for most of the 2024-25 season, and Morey says Embiid is ‘on track’ to be healthy for training camp, the start of the preseason and the start of the regular season,” Jones wrote. “League sources tell The Athletic that Embiid still hasn’t returned to on-court basketball activities. That said, Morey and the front office remain optimistic that Embiid will be on the floor for the season opener.”
The new NBA season is drawing closer, and training camp is right around the corner. It’s looking increasingly likely that Embiid will miss the start of the new season. And, if that happens, his availability rate will continue to dip. Of course, 76ers’ fans won’t be too concerned about how the team starts the new season.
Instead, they will want the roster to be healthy for the stretch run and the playoffs. Unfortunately, given the Sixers’ long list of injury worries, there’s no guarantee things will play out like that. All we can do, is wait and see.
Adam Taylor is a basketball reporter covering the Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns for Heavy. He has also written for CelticsBlog, USA Today, Yardbarker and FanSided. Adam has a bachelor’s degree in creative writing from Open University. More about Adam Taylor
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