For nearly a decade, we’ve been saying that the Philadelphia 76ers can only go as far as Joel Embiid can take them. This sentiment was put on full display last season when Philadelphia was devastated by injuries, which resulted in its worst record in eight years. Now, people have no idea what to make of the 76ers’ contention status. However, in his media availability today, Daryl Morey gave multiple positive updates as Philadelphia’s core continues to recover.
Edgecombe's injury isn't serious
The injury plague that deconstructed the 76ers within the past year seemed to spread to V.J. Edgecombe. After dropping 28 points and 10 rebounds in his Summer League debut against the Utah Jazz, he missed Philadelphia’s next three games. Initially, Edgecombe was diagnosed with a left thumb contusion. However, after further evaluation, it was ruled as a sprain shortly before the 76ers began their Summer League action in Las Vegas.
"Yeah, so he hurt his wrist,” Morey said. “Sort of a day-to-day thing. He did parts of practice [yesterday], and it'd be more today, and see how it feels. So, yeah, we're hoping to have him be back out there. Now, everyone's excited, including us and VJ. Mostly VJ. VJ is the most annoyed by this. He really wants to be out there, and our medical staff is trying to be smart about it,” wrote Adam Aaronson of The Philly Voice.
You could tell McCain really wanted to be here. Injuries suck https://t.co/tNG2bLj5dO
— Jacob Moreno (@jmoreno76ers) July 11, 2025
Morey’s verbiage was a bit confusing since Edgecombe’s injury is related to his thumb. Since the thumb and wrist are connected, it’s possible there could be some shared damage. Still, it’s more likely that he simply misspoke. Regardless, this injury won’t impact Edgecombe in the long term and the 76ers are doing the right thing by being cautious.
McCain and Embiid are progressing
Morey also revealed that Jared McCain is where he should be in terms of his recovery: "Great, [McCain] is on track, he just met with the doctor that did his surgery, everything is nominally on track, so he’s on track to be where he should be by training camp," Aaronson reported. When asked about Embiid’s rehabilitation, Morey said he is also on track.
Assuming there aren’t any setbacks, the 76ers will head into next season with a clean bill of health for the first time in two years. With more youth and athleticism, they’ll be an interesting team to watch in an Eastern Conference that’s wide open for the taking. Philadelphia faces lots of questions, but if it can simply stay healthy, its biggest weaknesses will turn into a strength. Ultimately, its ceiling is dependent on Embiid's health as always.