For three seasons, the Philadelphia 76ers watched Joel Embiid struggle with the same knee injury. It all started in 2023-2024, when Embiid suffered a setback that required surgery in the middle of the season.
Embiid returned in time to get ready for the playoffs, but he wasn’t able to perform to his standard consistently. The star big man tried to push through the issues during the Sixers’ 2024 playoff run, along with the Gold medal run with Team USA, but Embiid clearly wasn’t right.
During the 2024-2025 season, he couldn’t stay on the court. Eventually, Embiid was shut down for the season. He wrapped up the year with just 19 appearances. The big man underwent surgery for the second time in under a year. The 76ers were confident that Embiid’s knee issues were behind him, but they still played it safe for a good portion of the 2025-2026 NBA season.
In the first half of the year, Embiid missed scattered action due to knee injury management and soreness. Embiid ended up missing 21 games due to knee-related concerns in 2025-2026. While Embiid missed a total of 44 games, the knee became less of an issue as time went on.
The absence against the Pistons proves it’s in the rearview
Knock on wood! But it seems that Embiid’s knee concerns are officially behind him. Yes, the Sixers are still hesitant to roll out the star center for two nights in a row, but the injury report designation is different this time around.
As the 76ers approached their Sunday night action against the Detroit Pistons, the team ruled out Embiid as soon as they submitted their injury report. There was no mention of the knee. Instead, Embiid’s new injury designation is right plantar fasciitis management. Knowing that Embiid did not suffer any setbacks during his first few games of the season, his status comes off as nothing more than a night of rest. He might have wanted to play, but the 76ers wisely sat him down and gave the center rest after a strong start to the year.
Through the first three games of the season, Embiid has played in an average of 34.7 minutes per game. The veteran center is shooting 39.2% from the field, putting up 21.7 points per game. His shooting efficiency has been down, but Embiid has made up for it in other areas.
Defensively, he’s been star-caliber, averaging 9.7 rebounds, 1.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game. Embiid has also done well with his passing, dishing out a career-high 5.7 assists per game so far. As long as everything goes well at practice this upcoming week, Embiid should be able to get back out on the court for the team’s next matchup against the Indiana Pacers.
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