The Philadelphia 76ers’ upcoming season will hinge on the health of Joel Embiid and Paul George. With George undergoing arthroscopic
The Philadelphia 76ers’ upcoming season will hinge on the health of Joel Embiid and Paul George. With George undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee after suffering an injury during a recent offseason workout, attention is now turning to Embiid’s timeline to return from his own knee injury.
Embiid played in just 19 games last season after suffering a torn meniscus in his left knee the previous year. He would rush back for the playoffs in Philadelphia’s series loss to the New York Knicks. Even though he played for Team USA at the Summer Olympics and won a gold medal, Embiid wasn’t ready for the start of the 2024-25 year. He was not right for most of the season and was eventually shut down in February.
Embiid would then end up undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in April.
Last week, president of basketball operations Daryl Morey told reporters he was optimistic that Embiid would return for the start of training camp in September, despite the seven-time All-Star having yet to start basketball-related activities.
In a wide-ranging interview with ESPN’s Dotun Akintoye, Embiid provided an update on his recovery.
“We’re not going to push anything,” Embiid said. “For my whole career, I felt like we never took that approach.”
He added: “We don’t have a timeline. Hopefully, sooner rather than later.”
With Embiid using a patient approach to his recovery instead of rushing back like he previously has, he told Akintoye that he doesn’t know if the 76ers organization will support it.
“I don’t know how they feel. The only thing I’d say is — this is a business,” Embiid said. “It’s all about the results. … If I come back early enough and I’m still not myself, guess what? You’re not winning any games.”
Since getting drafted third overall in 2014, Embiid has missed nearly 50% of regular season games, including his first two years in the league.
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