Stephen A. Smith Comes to Defense of 76ers Star Joel Embiid

Longtime analyst defends 76ers star after missing season opener vs Bucks.

Oct 23, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Stephen A. Smith (Stephen Smith) on the ESPN NBA Countdown live set at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Heading into their season opener Wednesday night, arguably the biggest storyline around the Philadelphia 76ers was Joel Embiid's absence. Still continue to rehab the knee injury he suffered last season, the team opted to rule him out against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Embiid did limited work in training camp, and did not suit up at all during the preaseason. The team has made it clear they want to get him through the regular season healthy, which has been met with some scrutiny.

Along with facing an investigation from the league office, numerous people have spoken out against Embiid for not being in action Wednesday. However, one person who did come to his defense was Stephen A. Smith. During Wednesday's episode First Take, he stated that Embiid's extensive injury history warrants him being cuatious with his workload in the regular season.

"This dude has been hurt over every imaginable injury you can find on the human body," Smith said. "He's had everything happen to him except a heart attack, literally...Why can you not under him going like this. Yo, I'm trying to be ready for April, May and June. I might not need to play the back-to-back or whatever."

As of now, there is still no clear answer on when Embiid will make his season debut. The team has provided updates that his rehab continues to go well, but he's also been ruled out through the weekend.

The loss of Embiid has stung even more with Paul George also being sidelined. He is continuing to recover from a bone bruise he suffered in the preseason. Without two members of their big three, the Sixers were handed a 124-109 loss to the Bucks on opening night.

The Sixers pushed all in this offseason and built a roster capable of contending for a championship. Embiid is an essential part of achieving this goal, which why the team is working tirelessly to implement a system that gets him through the year with minimal wear and tear.