Amid speculation that Joel Embiid will be shut down for the season due to persistent knee issues, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said no decision had been made on Embiid’s status beyond Monday’s game against Chicago.
“Not at that point at all,” Nurse said in his pregame press conference, Tim Bontemps of ESPN tweets. “Just again we are playing and testing and trying to figure it out and go from there.”
Embiid had new imaging done on his troublesome left knee on Monday, Bontemps reports. There will be discussions on Tuesday to determine what the next steps will be.
“There’s still further testing tonight even yet today and continuing tomorrow, and that’s where we are,” Nurse said.
Embiid was at Monday’s shootaround and had been listed as questionable due to left knee injury management before the tests were conducted. He was later ruled out against the Bulls.
The seven-time All-Star has only played 19 games this season, averaging 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 0.9 blocks and 0.7 steals per night. Without All-Star production from Embiid, the Sixers have floundered. They had lost seven straight heading into Monday’s contest and are in danger of missing the postseason.
Embiid expressed his frustration over his continuing knee soreness on Thursday, saying, “The way I was playing a year ago is not the way I’m playing right now. It sucks. … 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.”
In a subscriber-only story, Kyle Neubeck of AllPHLY.com takes an in-depth look at whether Embiid’s knee problem can truly be fixed to allow him to play at an All-Star level again. It’s an enormous concern for the organization, as the former MVP signed a three-year max extension in September that carries through the 2028/29 season.