With training camp about six weeks away, the Sixers aren’t certain if Joel Embiid will be ready to participate. Head coach Nick Nurse discussed the health status of his star center and the team’s misfortunes from last season in an interview with Brian T. Smith of TalkSport.
Speaking Tuesday at the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders Europe camp in Manchester, England, Nurse said he’s “not sure” if Embiid will be cleared to participate when camp begins next month. However, he added an encouraging spin by saying “all the news is positive” so far.
“I know he’s working very, very hard and I think things look good,” Nurse said. “Whether he’s ready for training camp or not, I think there’s maybe a lot more decisions than that to make before we get there. But our main thing is that he’s healthy to play and play to his nearest capabilities, because he’s awesome, no doubt about that.”
Embiid hasn’t come close to playing a full season since winning MVP honors in 2023. He was limited to 39 games in 2023/24 before having meniscus surgery on his left knee and appeared in just 19 games last season before being shut down in February due to lingering concerns about the knee. He underwent arthroscopic surgery in April.
Nurse’s comments represent the first health update on Embiid since president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said following the draft that he was on track for recovery “right around” the start of camp. Regardless of the condition of his knee by then, the Sixers will be cautious with Embiid and try to gradually prepare him for the season opener.
“When he’s on the floor and any night he’s out there, we’ve got a chance to win, which is amazing,” Nurse said. “We just want to make sure and get him healthy and let him play for a longer period of time.”
Philadelphia plummeted without Embiid available, winning just 24 games after being viewed as a potential title contender when the season began. In addition to Embiid’s injury woes, the team got just 41 games out of Paul George and 52 from Tyrese Maxey. Injuries affected the Sixers throughout their roster, and they spent the last few weeks of the season using a makeshift lineup as losses piled up.
Nurse called it “a really unfortunate season,” but there’s renewed optimism related to better health for the team’s star players and the addition of VJ Edgecombe with the third pick in this year’s draft.
“It was almost four, five, six guys every night,” Nurse said of last season’s injuries. “We just never could get any continuity. We used an incredible 40 different players last year. So let’s put that in the rear-view mirror a little bit. Listen, those guys get healthy. They’re great players, and we get some better health this year. We’ll be right back in the mix and that’s what we’re looking to do.”