Joel Embiid has had a wonderful career. With many accolades under his belt, including the NBA MVP award and scoring champion title, he’s made a legacy for being one of the best big men of his era.
Unfortunately, he’s also had his fair share of injuries, and things have been up and down in terms of his health over the last two seasons. In 2023-24, Embiid only played in 39 games. So far this season, Embiid has only been available for 18 games.
Embiid has struggled with knee problems since the 2023-24 season, as he underwent meniscus surgery in February 2024. Embiid returned to the court in April 2024, but things have been rocky since.
Joel Embiid’s Long Injury Struggle
After the Philadelphia 76ers lost to the Boston Celtics 124-104 on Feb. 20, Embiid seemed a bit down following the game. He spoke about his injury and the problems he’s had with it this season.
Joel Embiid, on whether the knee is limiting him:
"The way I was playing a year ago, it's not the way I'm playing right now. It sucks. But I believe … I probably need to fix the problem and then I'll be back at that level, but it's hard to have trust when you're not yourself."… pic.twitter.com/CneQ5zTTMA— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) February 21, 2025
“The way I was playing a year ago, it’s not the way I’m playing right now. It sucks,” Embiid said. “But I believe … I probably need to fix the problem and then I’ll be back at that level, but it’s hard to have trust when you’re not yourself.”
“… It’s tough because you know you can do so much more.”
With the injury limiting Embiid this season, he’s played slightly below his traditional standards, averaging 24.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game. Considering Embiid has averaged over 30 points a game in the last three seasons, the injury is clearly taking its toll.
Can the 76ers Climb out of the Hole?
Embiid will have to find a way to get his injury taken care of as he will be relied upon down the stretch if the Sixers want any shot of actually making the playoffs. Could Philly shut Embiid down for the rest of the season?
That’s a hard question. On one hand, this Paul George experiment has not gone well, as he has played well below his previous standards. Tyrese Maxey has emerged as the most consistent player on the team, but that’s not going to be enough.
Maxey is playing like an All-NBA level player, averaging 27.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 6.1 assists, but his shooting percentage is slightly down as well. If Maxey has to carry this team while George and Embiid are nursing injuries, it is hard to see a path for the 76ers to be successful.
For the Sixers to reach their full potential as a team, they need George, Maxey, and Embiid together on the court healthy. The only concern is if that will ever happen.
