Joel Embiid and Paul George will both miss their fifth consecutive game due to left knee injuries when the Philadelphia 76ers play against Memphis on Saturday night.
Embiid, who often gets hurt, has not played at all this season, but he participated fully in practice on Friday, including in 5-on-5 scrimmages with the team. George, who also has not played this season because of a bone bruise on his left knee, was also part of the full practice and scrimmages with the 76ers.
Embiid did not play during the preseason and hasn’t participated in any meaningful games since he helped Team USA win a gold medal at the Paris Olympics.
The 76ers have listed Embiid’s absence as part of “left knee management.” Last season, he was limited to 39 games mainly due to knee surgery after he tore the meniscus in his left knee on January 30 against Golden State.
“Everybody has been on the same page,” Embiid said at the 76ers’ practice facility in New Jersey. “If your body doesn’t react well, and if your body tells you one thing (sit out). I’ve done it. From what I can tell you, I’ve broken my face twice, I came back early with the risk of losing my vision.
I have broken fingers. I still came back. When I see people say he doesn’t want to play, I’ve done way too much for this city, putting myself at risk for people to be saying that.”
Embiid’s absence for the season opener raised some eyebrows in the NBA, leading the league to fine the team $100,000 on Tuesday.
The fine was for public comments made by team president Daryl Morey and coach Nick Nurse that did not match Embiid’s health status and went against NBA rules, including the league’s player participation policy. However, it was determined that the participation policy was not violated.
Embiid was the No. 3 pick in the 2014 draft but missed his first two full seasons due to injuries. Since he started playing fully in 2016, he has participated in 433 out of 805 possible regular-season games and only 59 out of 67 possible playoff games.
In the 2023 playoffs, Embiid sprained his right knee, which caused him to miss games against Brooklyn and Boston. He also missed two games in the second round of the 2022 playoffs and another game in the first round of 2021 because of different injuries.
Additionally, he missed two games at the start of the 2018 playoffs due to an orbital fracture and another game in 2019 because of a knee issue.
“I wish I was as lucky as other ones,” Embiid said. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not trying and I’m not doing whatever it takes to try to be out there, which I’m going to be here pretty soon.”
Embiid mentioned that he does not regret playing in the Olympics. He could be back for the Sixers’ three-game West Coast trip, which begins Monday against Phoenix.
“I think really it’s being comfortable, trusting it,” Embiid said. “I want to be at my best. I don’t want to be in a situation where I’m like, I’m afraid if I do something or whatever (I get hurt again). I mentioned it since my last surgery, it was probably the toughest mentally. Mentally I’m just dealing with getting that trust back. In the past, it was just easy.”
