Philadelphia 76ers superstar center Joel Embiid will not be playing a single minute of preseason basketball this season, after being held out for the team’s first three contests before being officially ruled out by the franchise citing knee management. Embiid played just 39 games for the 76ers last season due to a variety of knee injuries.
“As part of his left knee management, Joel Embiid was assessed by doctors on Thursday. Embiid is progressing well and will continue to take part in an individual treatment plan designed to best support his health and wellness for the 2024-25 season. He will not play in this week’s preseason games. Further updates will be provided as appropriate.”
Embiid played through the bulk of the first half of last season due to injuries, looking to be a lock for MVP if he didn’t take occasional games off for injury management. Trying to play through those injuries led to Embiid tearing his left meniscus during a January 2024 contest against the Golden State Warriors, missing 29 straight games as the 76ers fell into the play-in tournament.
He returned early from injury and was visibly uncomfortable during a physical seven-game first-round series against the New York Knicks, which the 76ers lost. He did have a healthy summer, even representing Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics and winning the Gold.
Embiid reportedly didn’t participate in team scrimmages over the summer as the franchise held training camp in the Bahamas. He averaged 34.7 points, 11.0 rebounds. and 5.6 assists when he played last season, with the team having a 31-8 record in the games that he was available.
Philadelphia 76ers Hope To Manage Joel Embiid Better This Season
Embiid has been one of the most injury-prone superstars in the NBA, not having a healthy postseason since 2019 despite becoming a perennial MVP candidate and a one-time winner in the interim. Many criticized Embiid for prioritizing an MVP win over a Playoff push due to how hard he was playing in the regular season over the last few years, including last year, but this season won’t be the same.
Embiid has made it clear that he will work more closely with the 76ers to focus on the big picture and listen to them when they want him to manage his health better.
“It’ll be tough. They know that if they have to punch me, slap me, take my stuff away from me [to] not to get on that court, they’re going to have to do it. I might get mad, I might curse people out, but I think it’s a relationship. We’ve been working together for years now. Now I look at the big picture, and I’ve always listened to them, but now it’s even more of the time where I should listen and see what they have to say.”
Not playing in the preseason does look to be a sign that the 76ers will not care about Embiid’s individual accolades if it comes with an injury risk as it will cost them valuable wins.
The Embiid-less 76ers have gone 0-2 in preseason so far, losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves (111-121) and Boston Celtics (89-139), despite summer additions such as Paul George being healthy and available.
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