76ers' Nick Nurse Answers Important Joel Embiid Question

Nick Nurse and the 76ers address injury concerns surrounding Joel Embiid.

Jan 21, 2023; Sacramento, California, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) sits on the bench during the first quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Last Wednesday night, the Philadelphia 76ers opened up their season against the Milwaukee Bucks. There was a growing assumption that Joel Embiid would make his first on-court appearance since the Paris Olympics against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks.

Despite Embiid’s lack of participation in training camp scrimmages and absences in a six-game preseason stretch, the big man’s post-practice training sessions led insiders to believe Embiid was on pace to play. An official update from the Sixers shot down that idea.

As the Sixers opened up their 2024-2025 campaign with a three-game slate, Embiid has been ruled out for every game. The earliest he could return to the court would be Wednesday against the Detroit Pistons.

While Embiid’s nine absences have raised concerns about a potential injury, 76ers head coach Nick Nurse states there hasn’t been a setback suffered for the seven-time All-Star.

Jan 30, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) during warmups before a game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images / Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

“He did not re-injure himself,” Nurse said last week. “The plan is we don’t feel like he’s quite ready—strong enough, light enough—whatever it is that they’ve determined that he’s not quite ready to go.”

The Sixers mapped out a strict plan to keep Embiid’s playing time in check this year. While the veteran center is no stranger to the load management game, he hasn’t quite followed a blueprint like this in the past. It took missing 43 regular season games and battling through the playoffs after getting mid-season surgery for Embiid to realize he needed to take a different approach in 2024-2025.

As frustrating as it’s been for the outsiders looking in at the plan, the Sixers have all hands on deck as the 2024-2025 regular season fires up.

“I think it’s really a collective effort. I think if you want to point fingers at any one particular person, that’s not going to happen,” Nurse added. “I think our medical is first and foremost. Joel is there, the front office, myself. Everybody is weighing in to make what we hope is a better plan than it’s been. [There have been] very few playoffs he’s felt very good going into. We’re just trying to do something a little different and get him there this time.”

The Sixers don’t have a debut date in place for Embiid, but they’ve spent the last week putting the center through a ramp-up phase to be ready sooner rather than later. With the 76ers falling to 1-2 to start the year, the Sixers could really use the reinforcement soon.