Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers have had a season they would desperately want to forget. They’re 12th in the East, 16 games under .500, and Embiid’s availability has caused even the most diehard fans to doubt the Cameroonian’s commitment to the team. To add insult to injury, Nick Nurse benched him for the fourth quarter against the Nets, resulting in the Sixers losing to a buzzer-beater from Nic Claxton.
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The problems just haven’t stopped for Philadelphia and Embiid’s knees have been a consistent issue for them. In fact, it will most likely affect the team again tonight when they face the Bulls.
Embiid is listed as ‘questionable‘ and with all the reports emerging about his knee injuries, it isn’t likely he will suit up. Even if he does, he won’t get any meaningful minutes.
In 31 minutes against the Nets, Embiid logged only 14 points and looked like a shadow of the MVP he was. The Olympic gold medalist also fell for an exaggerated pump fake from Nets’ Trendon Watford as he rushed in to block his shot. The resulting play saw Embiid fall and slide nearly 5 feet into the first row.
JOEL EMBIID WITH THE BLOCK OF THE YEAR. 🤯🔥 pic.twitter.com/CaZSVJfgee
— NBACentel (@TheNBACentel) February 23, 2025
That highlight sums up the year that Joel Embiid has been having. He hasn’t had the best season, averaging just 23.8 points per game on career-low shooting splits of 44.4% from the field and 29.9% from three.
Embiid last faced Chicago in December and saw the former MVP put up a rapid-fire 33 points and gather 12 rebounds in just 31 minutes. Unfortunately, it is hard to hope for the same, not only because of his injury, but because of his general conditioning and form.
