As great as it was to see Joel Embiid start in the Philadelphia Sixers' first game of the regular season on Wednesday — and even better that it was a win — he didn't look like Joel Embiid. Nobody should've expected him to come out looking like his 2023 MVP form after undergoing two knee procedures in two years, but still, seeing him look off was tough on an otherwise fun night.
The main thing is that Embiid was on the floor, but the question remains: How many games will he play in this season for the Sixers? He probably won't hit the 65-game mark to be eligible for any awards. As Vincent Goodwill said on Wednesday's episode of the "Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective" podcast, Embiid playing 50 games would be a positive.
You might not think 50 games sounds like a whole lot, but for Embiid, it is. He played a combined 55 regular-season games the past two seasons. If he steps on the court 50 times this season, the Sixers will be satisfied. If the version of him that played on Wednesday is the player that he is now, that will be a different story.
Will Joel Embiid play in 50 games for the Sixers this season?
Bad injury luck has haunted Embiid for the entirety of his career. He missed the first two seasons of his career because of a broken bone in his right foot, and was limited to 31 games in his first official season (2016-17) due to a knee injury.
Embiid has played in 60+ games in back-to-back seasons twice in his career, most recently from 2021 to 2023. Sadly, it seems like the days of even that happening are over. As he gets older (he's 31), there will be even more concern about his health, if that's even possible.
He's on the right track so far, if you can call it that. Playing in the first game of the season after questions swirled around throughout the offseason about Embiid's health was somewhat of a miracle in itself. That should tell you everything you need to know about where he is in his career.
After the work Embiid has put in to get to where he is now, hopefully, his body won't fail him. The Sixers need to be more cautious than ever with him, and they know that.
Throw away your predictions of how many games you think Embiid will play. Set those expectations aside, or else you'll end up disappointed.