The 2025-26 season may still be a couple of months away, but it seems like the Philadelphia 76ers have already racked up their first loss in the upcoming campaign with this most recent development surrounding their biggest concern heading into the year.
As if what last season proved could not be any clearer, Joel Embiid will be the biggest determining factor on just how good the 76ers can be in 2025-26. The team will go wherever he propels them, and there is little doubt that the team will be left in the dark in the standings if he fails to play like his usual self on both ends.
But to make things more complicated, it may be too bold to assume that Embiid will even suit up for hardwood action in the first place. So far, there has been little to no progress on his return from injury as can be gleaned from the deafening silence from both the team and his camp, and there is a strong likelihood that he will miss the start of the season, just like he did in the previous campaign.
And to that effect, the franchise may have just gotten a near-official confirmation on the fate of their superstar to kickstart the season.
76ers receive grim Joel Embiid confirmation before the season begins
Sources say that Embiid is poised to miss the start of training camp with his knee still not being in playing shape. Heck, it appears that the general sentiment about the All-Star’s condition is that his knee is in “bad” shape, signaling that as can be inferred from the circumstances, there has been little to no progress with his rehab.
With this report, the 76ers will relive their ghastly experience from last season, at least to start the new campaign off. Still, this will have dire implications in their desired comeback bid, especially if the schedule turns out to be an unforgiving one to start the season and it coincides with Embiid missing a lot of games due to injury.
As a result, Tyrese Maxey will once again be cudgeled into doing the heavy lifting on offense, something which he struggled with last season. Hopefully, Paul George will also be healthy enough to contribute on the scoring end, with Jared McCain and VJ Edgecombe also pitching in to fill Embiid’s void.
But for now, things are definitely not looking good for the Philadelphia 76ers. And until their grim episode with Joel Embiid halts, that will remain to be the case.