As the beginning of the 2025-26 season gets closer, the discussion about the Philadelphia 76ers has intensified. However, it's hard to talk about the 76ers without mentioning Joel Embiid. Many have already predicted that he’ll miss dozens of games, which limits Philadelphia's potential. While this is a pessimistic outlook, it may be the truth.
Jake Fischer reported on Bleacher Report's program “The Notebook” on Thursday that the 76ers don’t plan deploying Embiid in back-to-back games this season and potentially for the remainder of his career. Fischer theorized that Philadelphia could place various restrictions on Embiid, including limited minutes and overall workload. There is still no timetable for his return.
What now?
Embiid didn't participate in Philadelphia's first two preseason games against the New York Knicks in Abu Dhabi. Given Fischer’s intel, it's reasonable to assume that Embiid could be sidelined in the 76ers’ last two preseason games against the Orlando Magic on Friday and Minnesota Timberwolves on October 17th.
“I feel pretty good,” Embiid said during Media Day on September 26th. “We made a lot of progress over the last couple months. We got a plan in place. I’m trying to check all the boxes, taking it day-by-day.”
While this may seem like deja vu, Philadelphia is making the right decision regarding his availability, despite how frustrated fans may feel. Whether Embiid returns for the 76ers’ season-opener against the Boston Celtics on October 22nd or weeks/months later, their contention hopes hinge on his health. Embiid rushing back wouldn't do him or Philadelphia any good in the long term.
Nick Nurse said that Embiid has done “a lot” of live action in the last seven to 10 days, Austin Krell of OnPattison reported on Thursday. Still, ramping up and withstanding the ebbs and flows of a game are two different stories. The 76ers must ensure that Embiid checks every possible box before making his long-awaited season debut.
Don’t repeat the same mistake
Otherwise, Philadelphia could yield a similar outcome to last season. The 76ers had a nearly identical plan to conservatively manage Embiid, namely eradicating back-to-backs. But, there was one issue – he was seemingly never healthy to begin with.
Embiid tore his meniscus in January 2024 and underwent a procedure the following month. He returned in time for Philadelphia’s Eastern Conference Quarterfinals series against the Knicks in the 2023-24 Playoffs. However, Embiid hasn't reached the dominant heights he once made seem like an average occurrence since.
Matters worsened in the 2024-25 season as his troublesome left knee limited him to 19 games. There was never a point during the season where Embiid looked fully healthy. Philadelphia shut him down on February 28th to undergo an arthroscopic procedure on April 11th. This was a key factor in the 76ers finishing the year with 24 wins.
Philadelphia’s aggressive load management plan for Embiid theoretically made sense, he simply has to be healthy enough for it to work.