Former NBA Standout Makes Bold Suggestion for 76ers’ Joel Embiid

Former 76ers guard recently spoke on Joel Embiid's situation.

May 2, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) in action against the New York Knicks during game six of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia 76ers haven’t seen Joel Embiid play in over two weeks. The last time the veteran center took the floor was on November 20 against the Memphis Grizzlies.

At the time, Embiid checked in for 35 minutes. Statistically, he had a successful outing by putting up 35 points and coming down with 11 rebounds. The Sixers fell short against the Grizzlies with a six-point loss.

Considering Embiid had his best outing out of four appearances, it seemed the Sixers were trending in the right direction with their seven-time All-Star big man. At first, he was left off of the injury report for the November 22 matchup against the Brooklyn Nets. Then, he was downgraded.

Embiid was ruled out for two games due to knee swelling. Two games turned into six. When the 76ers host the Orlando Magic on Friday night, Embiid is going to miss his seventh game in a row.

76ers head coach Nick Nurse made it clear that Embiid doesn’t plan to take a long-term absence. In fact, he’s ramping up and looking to return sooner rather than later. For a 5-15 Sixers team, that’s a good sign, considering they continue to struggle in his absence.

In the eyes of former 76ers guard Lou Williams, the Sixers need to really re-consider a potential return for Embiid, suggesting it might be wiser to let the big man continue to see an extended absence.

The 76ers are hurting their future by not shutting down Joel Embiid 🙃

"If you're management for the 76ers, what are you waiting for?” - Lou Williams

📺 https://t.co/iQzNMjiVd2@MichelleDBeadle | @TeamLou23 | @ChandlerParsons pic.twitter.com/QDjCy4Pvye

— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) December 5, 2024

“I’m just curious to know what’s the hold up?” Williams said on Run It Back. “What are they holding out hope for? Again, we don’t have insider information as to what type of shape he’s actually in and how bad the knee injury is besides what we’ve known historically going on with Joel Embiid.”

Embiid’s injury history is no secret. Since he entered the NBA, the one-time MVP has been battling numerous lower-body setbacks and hasn’t played in more than 68 games in a single regular season.

“You see yourself two and a half games out of the ten spot,” Williams said of the Sixers. “You're not playing your best basketball. You're not even really healthy. … You can't find that consistency that you want to. If you're the Philadelphia 76ers, if you're the management for them, what are you waiting for? You know, are we still thinking long-term, or are we thinking short-term? Are we thinking long-term? Go ahead and shut him down. Give him an opportunity to get as healthy as he possibly can, and as much as it's going to hurt, as much criticism as you're going to take from your fan base, you got to put yourselves in a position to do what's best for the organization in the long term.”

Sixers center Joel Embiid attended Friday’s shootaround, but did not participate.

— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) December 6, 2024

So far, the Sixers have rejected the idea of shutting down Embiid for the year. They continue to reiterate there is no re-injury. Lately, swelling and soreness have contributed to adding absences to the original injury management plan. According to Nick Nurse, Embiid has had a couple of workouts this week. His status for Sunday’s game in Chicago is to be determined.