Joel Embiid missed the Philadelphia 76ers‘ 113–98 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday to manage swelling in his left knee. That will also keep the embattled center out of Sunday’s matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers, the team announced.
Embiid has only played in four games for the Sixers amid their 2–12 start this season. That was due largely to managing the recovery of his left knee, which kept him on the sideline during the preseason and Philadelphia’s first five games of the season. Then Embiid served a three-game suspension for shoving a reporter in a postgame locker room confrontation.
In his four games, Embiid has averaged 19.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists. However, he scored 35 points with 11 rebounds in Wednesday’s 117–111 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Unfortunately, Philadelphia lost Paul George for two games after he suffered another hyperextension and bone bruise in his left knee. Wednesday’s game was the first time that the Sixers’ “big three” of Embiid, George and Tyrese Maxey played together this season. Yet afterwards, two of those three are out of the lineup.
George will be reevaluated on Monday and it appears that the same will apply to Embiid, whose status will be updated early next week, according to reports.
The Sixers were viewed as an Eastern Conference challenger that could challenge the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics coming into the season. Yet they’ve been this season’s most disappointing team thus far due to injuries and poor chemistry.
Following Monday’s loss to the Miami Heat, in which Philadelphia blew a 19-point lead and Embiid shot no free throws in a game for the first time in seven years, the team held a meeting to address its poor play. Maxey reportedly called out Embiid for being late to team activities, while the center expressed confusion about how the offense was working.
Embiid later said “Whoever leaked that is a real piece of s—-,” while George agreed that the conversation didn’t warrant being leaked to reporters. But details were bound to get out when a team meeting was called amid a disappointing start, especially if it fits a developing narrative about Embiid’s attitude.
That start doesn’t figure to get better while Embiid and George are both out of the lineup. Maxey missed six games with a strained right hamstring, as well. What the health of the Sixers’ stars appears to indicate for now is that it could be some time before the team can begin to turn its fortunes around.
