Dec 25, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) shoots through the defense of Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard (11) during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images Eric Canha-Imagn Images

NBA Analyst's Concerning Thought About 76ers’ Joel Embiid

Originally posted on Philadelphia 76ers on SI
By Justin Grasso | Last updated Jan 20, 2025 7:26 PM ET

The Philadelphia 76ers haven’t seen much of their seven-time All-Star Joel Embiid this season.

Heading into the 2024-2025 NBA season, the Sixers anticipated the reality he could play under 65 games. With Embiid embracing an injury management plan, he made it clear that winning solo awards would not be a priority moving forward.

But many unplanned absences have prevented Embiid from seeing the court for more than 15 games this year now halfway through the season.

The struggles to stay healthy come after Embiid played in just 39 games last season.

ESPN’s Tim McMahon questions whether Embiid could see the court for close to half a season again in his career.

“It’s going to be chronic for the rest of his career,” McMahon said on ‘The Hoop Collective,’ regarding Embiid’s knee concerns.

“The guy played 39 games last year, and honestly, that’s going to be a number I’m not sure that he reaches a lot in his career, unfortunately.”

Since entering the NBA, Embiid has battled many setbacks. Heading into his true fourth year with the Sixers, he had just 31 games under his belt.

While Embiid was able to play in over 300 games from 2017 up until two seasons ago, his knee complications have been more concerning than ever recently.

This season, Embiid missed the first six games of the year due to knee injury management. He was looking to get as healthy as possible after undergoing surgery last year.

From November 22 to December 6, Embiid missed seven games due to knee swelling.

At this point, Embiid is in the midst of an eight-game streak of absences and will miss a ninth in a row on Tuesday due to knee swelling. He’ll be re-evaluated ahead of Friday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Sixers haven’t called it a season for Embiid yet, who hasn’t played in more than four games at a time, but the future is fuzzy at the moment.

Considering the star center just signed another extension over the summer, the Sixers could really use some good news regarding Embiid’s future. At this time, all of the talk surrounding his health concerns hasn’t been positive.