Joel Embiid’s goal needs to be prioritizing the 2026 playoffs, not the 2026 regular season. That may be his best shot to rehab his career threatening knee injury.
The Sixers are heading towards their home stretch of games, potentially completing a wildly improbable tank (considering lofty preseason expectations) — with just seven games remaining. And while Ricky Council IV makes highlights, as Justin Edwards dazzles us with some incredible drives, as Quentin Grimes continues his ascension, and Lonnie Walker IV flashes playmaking chops, Philadelphia still (mercifully) continues racking up L’s.
But as Sam Hinkie’s spirit smiles down upon us all, fans may still wonder where Joel Embiid may be in terms of rehab from a now franchise-altering left knee injury. Would snagging the top pick in the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft, and selecting Duke phenom Cooper Flagg change the franchise’s fortunes? If so, would they look to trade the 2023 NBA MVP?
With Joel in mind, what should The Process’ sole focus be heading into his age 32 season?
My vote (and I’d propose the same for Paul George too) would be for the Kansas product to prioritize being as healthy as possible, not for the start of the 2025-2026 regular season, but for the 2026 playoffs.
I’m working currently working under the assumption that Embiid and the Sixers are exploring ways to get JoJo in top condition for the start of next season, come this October — when the Phillies (currently 3-1) hope to still be playing. According to Nick Nurse, we’ll have an update “soon-ish” on whether or not Embiid may undergo another knee procedure to address that nonexistent balky left meniscus. Our Bryan Toporek recently quiped that “in Sixers parlance, that means there’s a 95 percent chance of us not hearing a single concrete detail until October.”
No doubt team and independent surgeons will be evaluating the best way for Embiid to move forward and salvage — if not reignite — the supermax star’s exhilarating and heartbreaking career. The only answer is to take the longest view in the room once again. And that doesn’t mean accelerating his rehab to meet the commencement of the next season. We’ve already seen that.
Joel was in top form and squarely in MVP conversations through winter of the 2019 regular season, then again in ‘21, ’22’ and 2023. But he got hurt each year come the first or second round of the NBA Playoffs. We don’t need to see Joel make another All-Star team (though it would be nice). If he works with team doctors and physical therapists to adopt the mentality that he has another 12 months before next season’s playoffs to get truly right, perhaps that would be his best shot to help the Sixers win a title.
This is Tyrese Maxey’s team now. Embiid can play every other game or so, or skip the first quarter of the year. He can maybe check in all winnable games to anchor the defense, and amplify his own facilitating skills to spring Maxey for open looks. But the days where the team will rely on the Cameroonian big to drop 70 points in a ballgame are likely gone for good. That’s the brutal reality.
I’m no expert, and I don’t know the protocol to heal from his meniscus injury. But what if 12 months of aqua jogging while slowllllly ramping back up might truly be his best course of action? No fan should want to see Embiid try to grind the way he has the last eight seasons. He should be targeting merely a chunk of next year’s regular season. Perhaps Kawhi Leonard could make a few recommendations? Joel historically has pushed to play as often as possible. Maybe now that he signed a supermax last summer but couldn’t contribute this coming spring, the franchise will take a stronger stance on when Embiid is active for ballgames — or how many minutes he plays.
A view this long may make Joel and fans impatient. It would likely hurt their future standing or playoff seed. Sure, maybe he could get out there and help them win a few extra ballgames or 12. But it’s probably not worth it if it means recklessly speeding up his recovery window. We’ve seen All-NBA Joel before and were left wanting to see more every season.
All that matters for Joel now is the NBA postseason that’ll come after this pending one; one that doesn’t include the Sixers for the first time since 2016-2017. All that matters is that Embiid really take his time and give his battle-scarred body every possible chance to heal.