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Joel Embiid Information Void Filled with a “Genuine Concern” Story Picked Up By the Aggregator Accounts
By Sean Barnard
Published:
The Sixers will begin their training camp on October 1st. Whether or not Joel Embiid will be participating is to be determined. A wave of pessimism was released through the NBA Twitter-verse, sparked by a ClutchPoints article written by Brett Siegel and picked up by several of the aggregation accounts:
While the dot connecting and gossiping among NBA circles is not for nothing, the truth of the matter is no one – not even Joel Embiid himself – truly knows what he’s capable of doing in 2025. There has been little to no information released from either the Sixers directly or Embiid himself to this point. But this a true damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation. Philadelphia expressed nothing but positivity surrounding Embiid’s outlook leading up to last year, only for him to miss the first nine games of the season and never get himself to 100%.
Any sort of positivity thrust into the universe would fall on deaf ears and only look worse if the former MVP is limited or unavailable at the start of the season. To this point, all that has been made public is that Embiid underwent his arthroscopic knee surgery on April 11th. Daryl Morey told reporters on draft night that Embiid was on track to be ready “right around” the start of training camp:
“Spoke to Joel today (June 25th), he’s very engaged, attacking rehab, doing everything he can to be out there. He had a meeting with (doctor Jonathan Glashow) this week, to use a NASA term, all things (are) nominal. Things are going well and expected. We expect that to continue… things are on track to be ready right around (the start of training camp).“
Morey then spoke to the PHLY Sixers crew a few weeks ago:
While these reports are dressed up in a tell-all style, the reality is this is just stating the obvious. It would be far more insane to have 100% confidence in Embiid looking like the MVP version of himself right from day one. The track record of big men with knee issues over the age of 30 is not great and this has always been the overarching fear with Embiid. Injury concerns are the very reason he fell to the third overall pick in the 2014 draft and why he was kept off the court for the first two full seasons of his career. The seven-time All-Star has been far from an ironman in terms of availability, but in some ways it’s a miracle he has played as much as he has.
Embiid himself has made the message clear that he will be patient in his rehab approach in hopes for different results. So often during his rehab stints there is a clear return target date in mind that doesn’t necessarily correlate to the injury itself. Embiid has only finished a postseason healthy during the pandemic-interrupted season. That’s the only one throughout the entirety of his career. There should not be a major panic if Embiid is not ready for training camp or opening night. In an ideal world he certainly is, but the goal is to have him looking close to 100% at the finish line, not the start.
Perhaps the bigger point that should be made clear is that the Sixers will likely be on the hook for whatever version of Joel Embiid steps foot on the floor for the remainder of his career. Every team in the league is fully aware of these same injury issues and are not itching to be contractually committed to the 31-year-old through the 2028-29 season. The $67.2 million player option Embiid holds for this final season also carries quite a bit of sticker shock in itself especially as the effects of the new CBA begin to be felt.
If Embiid can never return to a high level version of himself, it would take the Sixers attaching multiple young players and picks just to clear him off their books. This is the case it doesn’t make any sense to move him. If Embiid can get back to the highly productive version of himself, it also would not make any sense to trade him except for a very unique situation. Even if the new reality falls somewhere in the middle, the balance of what a possible trade return is, versus what Embiid provides to the team, is heavily shifted in favor of him remaining in Philadelphia.
Last season snapped a seven-year streak of the Sixers qualifying for the playoffs. The constant pursuit of getting over the championship (or second round ) hump has been exhausting to fans and the organization alike. What level Embiid returns at will dictate if the Sixers can be viewed remotely through the championship contender lens. But there should be some excitement with the youthful names that will round out the rest of the roster. Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain, and V.J. Edgecombe will headline the effort and each have some legitimate reasons to believe in their future impact.
For so long Embiid has been responsible for dragging the Sixers to a top-six seed and hope the rest of the team is ready to follow. Maybe it’s time for the young guns to return the favor and drag the MVP behind them for a change.
Sean Barnard has covered the Philadelphia 76ers and general Philly Sports for over six years in a variety of roles and for multiple outlets. Currently works as a Content Writer for DraftKings Network, Sixers/NBA Insider for Philadelphia's Fox Sports the Gambler, and co-host of Sixers & Phillies Digest on Youtube. Forever Trusting the Process.