Over the past two seasons, the Philadelphia 76ers have rarely had Joel Embiid available for selection. The former MVP has struggled with a persistent knee injury. In turn, the Sixers have struggled to remain relevant in the postseason.
When speaking via Sirius XM NBA Dash Radio on Sunday, July 27, Sixers beat writer Keith Pompey speculated that Embiid’s career could be drawing to a close. Pompey noted Embiid’s recent interview with ESPN’s Dotun Akintoye, as a potential precursor to the announcement.
“I think Joel may know that the end is near, and this is just me saying, and it’s kind of like explaining to people what he’s been going through,” Pompey said. “Because rarely do you have a guy tell you how much pain (they’re in) and how much they’re going through.
The thing I took from it was no matter who is there, the culture is the same. And I feel like Joel Embiid knows that it may not be this season, but the end is near. Maybe he feels as though he can’t play to the level he used to. I could be wrong. He could come out and have another MVP season. But that was my takeaway.”
Embiid has played in 58 games over the past two seasons, with just 19 of them coming in the 2024-25 season. Without the former MVP at his best, the Sixers have an expensively constructed roster without its top talent to lead the line.
Sixers’ Embiid Has No Timeline for Return
Embiid underwent his second meniscus surgery in the last 18 months in April. The hope was that by having the surgery early, he would have plenty of time to recover and be back on the court for the start of the new season. Unfortunately, things don’t appear to be trending in that direction.
During his interview with Akintoye, Embiid detailed how there’s no timeline for his return to the rotation.
“We don’t have a timeline,” Embiid told Akintoye. “Hopefully, sooner rather than later…I don’t know how they (the Sixers) feel. The only thing I’d say is — this is a business. 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.”
Daryl Morey has constructed the Sixers roster around Embiid. It’s designed to bring the best out of the All-Star big man. However, Nick Nurse may need to shuffle his system to feature Tyrese Maxey or Paul George in the opening weeks or months of the new campaign.
Embiid Isn’t Even Working Out on The Court Yet
According to a report from The Athletic’s Tony Jones, Embiid is 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.”
Fortunately for the Sixers, there’s still plenty of time before the new season begins. Nevertheless, the longer Embiid is off the floor, the less likely it is that he’ll be ready for the new season. Sixers fans will just be hoping that they don’t get a repeat of last year, because that would be a disaster.
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