76ers News: Nick Nurse Addresses Joel Embiid's Recent Altercation

What did Nick Nurse have to say about Joel Embiid's recent altercation?

May 14, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) leaves the court after losing to the Boston Celtics in game seven of the 2023 NBA playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images / Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

Following a Saturday night loss against the Memphis Grizzlies, the results of the game were quickly forgotten for the Philadelphia 76ers. Suddenly, all of the attention was on the star center Joel Embiid, who reportedly got into an altercation with a reporter in the locker room.

Last Friday, Embiid was made available to reporters for the first time since training camp. The star center fielded questions about his absences throughout the preseason and the start of the regular season.

During his conversation with reporters, Embiid addressed a specific column that criticized his recent string of absences. In a fiery rant, Embiid made it clear he felt the opinion piece was not fair. He would later make it clear that he especially didn’t appreciate the names mentioned to get the point across.

The NBA has launched an investigation into the altercation. It’s unclear what could be in the cards for Embiid, but for the time being, the star center remains out of the lineup.

Although Embiid isn’t on the floor for the Sixers currently, he’s been around the team and participating in most practice activities. Recently, 76ers head coach Nick Nurse addressed Embiid’s involvement in the postgame altercation with The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey.

Oct 23, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid in plain clothes dribbles the ball during a timeout in the second quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

“As always, I asked how he was feeling, first of all, and tried to get him locked into what we’re doing,” Nurse told The Inquirer. “I’m concerned about getting him on the floor, making sure he understands who he’s playing with, what they are doing, what all that stuff looks like. We’ve been able to get him into more of that work today. … I think playing will help him. Yeah, I think it will help get focused.”

Throughout the entire preseason, Embiid wasn’t suited up for games and only practiced on a limited basis. When the regular season started, the big man still hadn’t scrimmaged five-on-five and was ruled out for the first week of action.

At this point, Embiid is back in scrimmage action with the Sixers. However, as they fired up the third week of action with a matchup against the Phoenix Suns, Embiid did not take the court on Monday. He missed his sixth game in a row.

Although the 76ers don’t have a target date in place for his return, everything seems to be trending in the right direction for the seven-time All-Star center. Nurse and the Sixers hope to get him back on the floor soon to help the team get back on track after a disappointing 1-5 start.