“No Drug Is Gonna Help”: Joel Embiid’s Season Cannot Be Salvaged Using Paul George’s Advice, Says Chandler Parsons

Joel Embiid’s health has been a common story that has plagued the Philadelphia 76ers. The 30-year-old center has only played in 19 games this season due to injuries to his knee. As calls to shut down the 2023 MVP grow stronger, Embiid’s teammate, Paul George, suggested during a press conference that the big man should use some kind of drug to help him battle the pain, especially if he planned to play the final 26 games.

PG also suggested that Embiid endure a ton of reps so that his body gets “conditioned” and “builds a callus” for the beating he takes on the court each night. However, Chandler Parsons dismissed George’s idea on Run It Back.

“What he has, no drug is gonna help,” said Parsons. He indicated that the Sixers should realistically shut down Embiid as a long-term solution instead of trying to achieve short-term goals for a team that is struggling at the 12th spot in the East with a 20-37 record.

Co-host Lou Williams agreed. “We’re looking at the future, they’re (Sixers) are looking at short-term and still trying to put themselves in a situation to get a Play-In,” he added.

Paul George says ‘s would help Joel Embiid play through his pain

“What Embiid has, no drug is gonna help.” – @ChandlerParsons

“We’re looking at the future. They’re looking at right now.” – @TeamLou23 pic.twitter.com/nkOmE6j8p1

— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) February 24, 2025

The argument both former NBA stars had is that Philly would not be contending for a title with their current dynamic. So there’s no point in risking a major injury for Embiid by dragging this thing any longer.

On the other hand, from the Sixers’ perspective, every season has produced similar outputs for Embiid. So there’s no guarantee that the Cameroonian would show up healthy next year and actually stay healthy the whole year. So why not take a chance this season and let him recover over the summer.

The problem is that Embiid had surgery in his knee a season ago for a torn meniscus, and instead of getting proper rest, he opted to play at the Paris Olympics. That really anticipated his persisting troubles this season.

About the author

Joseph Galizia

Joseph is a Las Vegas based actor and circus performer. For the last seven years he's had the pleasure of covering sports for multiple outlets, including the Lifestyles section of Sports Illustrated. In that time, he's conducted over 50 interviews with athletes, filmmakers, and company founders to further cement his footprint in the journalism world. He's excited to bring that skillset to the SportsRush, where he'll be covering the NBA news cycle.

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