Joel Embiid has dealt with one too many injuries in his 11 seasons in the NBA and The Ringer’s Howard Beck states that his knee issues might never go away. Beck stated in a column earlier this month that Embiid doesn’t want to publicly admit that his surgically repaired knee still isn’t quite right.
“Here’s the truth that Embiid won’t admit, that Sixers officials dare not verbalize, even at the risk of getting fined: He’s injured. The knee he had surgically repaired in February, which he played on with clear limitations (and a brace) throughout the playoffs and the Olympics, still isn’t right. It might never be right. Like Kawhi Leonard (who also never discusses these things), Embiid might very well be dealing with chronic issues for the rest of his career.”
Having your name mentioned alongside Kawhi Leonard when it comes to injuries is not ideal. Leonard basically has chronic knee issues and has been sidelined for an indefinite period of time to start this 2024-25 season. He and the Los Angeles Clippers have been very secretive when it comes to his health and Beck believes that it’s a similar situation in Philadelphia.
Beck claims that Embiid has been extremely protective about his health status over the course of his career and doesn’t want it discussed or explained by anyone. It’s reportedly why the 76ers haven’t been all that clear when disclosing details regarding the 2023 MVP’s health.
Beck also pointed out that the NBA’s statement on the 76ers’ $100,000 fine over comments about Embiid confirms that the team lied about his status.
“Just connect the dots on the NBA’s (muddled, dizzying) statement last week announcing the $100,000 fine against the Sixers. According to the league, Sixers officials were guilty of making ‘public statements … that were inconsistent with Joel Embiid’s health status.’ Translation: They lied when they said he was held out of games for ‘injury management,’ as opposed to, well, an actual injury. They lied when they said he had experienced no setbacks to his knee, because he obviously has.
“In that same press release, the NBA said its investigation ‘confirmed that Embiid has been unable to play’ in regular-season games—and therefore that Sixers are not violating rules aimed at curbing player ‘rest.’ In its own obnoxiously bureaucratic way, the NBA is telling us that Joel Embiid is, in fact, injured. Not resting. Not load managing. Not being cautious. And not choosing to sit out to protect his ego or his stats. Just injured.”
Beck makes some good points there. He added that Embiid’s refusal to want his status revealed was why 76ers head coach Nick Nurse wasn’t very clear about it in the lead-up to the season. Team officials can only say so much, without a player’s consent.
This appears to be a very messy situation and I doubt things change moving forward. Embiid’s stance is not going to change after all these years and the 76ers will have to keep playing this game.
Joel Embiid Is Frustrated By How The 76ers Are Using Him On The Court
Embiid has been the talk of the basketball world over the last couple of days, albeit for all the wrong reasons. After the 76ers dropped to 2-11 on the season due to a 106-89 loss to the Miami Heat, a team meeting was called where Tyrese Maxey called out Embiid for always being late for everything. While he reportedly was fine with what Maxey said, he had another problem. Embiid is reportedly frustrated with the 76ers.
“According to the team and league sources, Maxey highlighted the need for Embiid to set a better example as a leader on a day-to-day basis while emphasizing the importance of timeliness. The message, in essence, was that everything within their program starts with the big man and that he simply must be better when it comes to his leadership. Embiid, league and team sources say, heard the message while also expressing a lack of clarity and occasional frustration about how he is being used on the court.”
Embiid has averaged just 14.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 0.3 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game in this 2024-25 season. The 30-year-old has been very inefficient too, shooting just 32.4% from the field and 15.4% from beyond the arc. The seven-time All-Star seems to be pointing the finger at the coaching staff for his troubles on the court and it certainly isn’t all roses and sunshine in Philadelphia at the moment.
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