Team sources told The Athletic’s Sam Amick that Joel Embiid could make his season debut against the Los Angeles Clippers if he is not suspended.
The Philadelphia 76ers fell to the Phoenix Suns in a thriller Monday night, 118-116. Despite Monday night’s loss, the Sixers are starting to get back to full strength as Paul George made his season debut.
In addition, team sources told The Athletic’s Sam Amick that Joel Embiid could make his season debut against the Los Angeles Clippers this Wednesday if he is not suspended:
“The hope, as team sources shared Monday, is that Embiid could play as soon as Wednesday’s game against the LA Clippers (unless he’s suspended by then). He recently began practicing in five-on-five action, worked out extensively before the game against the Suns and is expected to take part in individual workouts Tuesday in Los Angeles that will set the stage for what comes next. Barring a setback, it seems likely there is an end in sight here very soon.”
The beginning of the 2024-25 season has been a bit hectic for Philadelphia starting from the news of Embiid’s health being in flux. Fans, critics and analysts questioned whether or not he should have played during the Olympics while still recovering from surgery on his left knee that was performed back in February.
Right before the start of the season, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Embiid, along with George, would be out due to injury. This would lead to a series of questions and frustrations for the front office and head coach Nick Nurse who expected their star center to be ready starting Oct. 23.
Amick reports that the Sixers have been honoring their star big man’s wishes to keep his health information private, even as external pressure has mounted:
“As it relates to Embiid’s availability and the latest round of media/fan pressure being applied for him to play, team sources say this time has been made all the more difficult because the Sixers truly believed he would be ready at the start of the regular season Oct. 23. That’s why they made so many rose-colored-glasses statements publicly about his health, glossing over the truth about the left knee problem that the league ultimately deemed a legitimate concern. In doing so, they honored Embiid’s well-known wishes of being as private as possible when it comes to his health.”
In addition to the Sixers trying to keep Embiid’s health in-house, he allegedly got into a “physical altercation” with a reporter after a Saturday’s loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Philadelphia has gotten off to an unfortunate 1-5 start, but it can be corrected with the return of their star center, pending the league’s investigation.
Embiid’s possible return is a big boost for the franchise who is starting to return to full health. Tyrese Maxey has been doing his best Batman attempt but the return of George and now possibly their 7-foot center will help balance this roster.
Before the aforementioned report of his possible return Wednesday night against the Clippers, there was a huge question mark as to when he could return.
The Sixers are set to take on the Clippers on Wednesday at 10 p.m. EST, and hopefully, it will be with the former MVP in the lineup.