The Philadelphia 76ers will go as far as star center Joel Embiid takes them.
Embiid, the 2022-23 Most Valuable Player and seven-time All-Star, played just 19 games last season as he dealt with various ailments, most notably a persistent left knee injury that shut him down and led to arthroscopic surgery in April.
As the 76ers reported to training camp Friday, Sept. 26, a noticeably slimmed-down Embiid addressed his knee and said he felt ‘pretty good’ and that he has ‘made a lot of progress.’ He didn’t offer specifics on a timeline on ramping up to full action but hinted that he would be limited early in training camp.
“I want to be as honest as possible,” Embiid told reporters during a news conference. “I think, going forward, I’m just going to listen to the body. It’s going to be unpredictable at times, and if there is something that happens, it’s okay. Focus on fixing it and keep going. We’ve got to work with that.”
Throughout his career, health and availability has been a frustration for Embiid, who is 31 and is entering his 10th season in the league; Over the last two seasons, Embiid has appeared in just 58 of a possible 164 regular season games.
Embiid described last season as “so unpredictable” and “mentally draining.” He said he has participated in on-court sessions and that he and the Sixers have a plan in place, though he did not specify what that meant.
76ers general manager Daryl Morey took a similarly cautious approach when discussing expectations on Embiid’s availability and participation levels during training camp and early in the season.
“We’re not getting into the expectations game,” Morey told reporters. “The doctors’ advice, on what Joel said about listening to his body, which is a big component of how doctors manage injuries — that’s going to be what carries the day this year.”
Several photos circulated over the past several weeks on social media showing Embiid noticeably slimmed down, and that was evident as he took the podium.
“I’ve done a few (things),” Embiid said of his workouts and live drill participation headed into training camp. “Just taking it day-by-day. The goal is to play consistently and not be in the position that we were last year. So, whatever the plan is, I think the focus is on just checking all those boxes.”
Just like they were last year, the 76ers are already facing injury issues across the roster. Not only is Embiid facing the slow ramp-up from his knee surgery, but forward Paul George underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, and second-year guard Jared McCain tore his ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb Thursday, Sept. 25.
“For us, the biggest thing is health,” Embiid said. “That’s really the biggest thing. So I’m focused on doing the right things every single day. On the court, we have almost the same team as last year, but we’ve got a lot of talent, so it’s all about putting it together. But you can’t put it together if everybody is not on the same page and is not healthy.
“The main focus is just taking it day-by-day and just be with each other.”
Embiid averaged just 23.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game last season, which were down considerably from his totals from the previous year (34.7 points and 11 rebounds per game).
“Everybody who knows me knows I want to play,” Embiid said. “I want to play every game. I’ve been pretty unlucky when it comes to that.”
The 76ers, dealing with all their injuries, finished the season 24-58, in 13th place in the Eastern Conference. It was the team’s lowest win total in 10 seasons, when the Sixers went 10-72 under former coach Brett Brown.