Sixers Coach Reveals Joel Embiid's Day 1 Practice Status

“He did participate,” said Sixers head coach Nick Nurse.

“Everything right from the start was live, and he was in there participating in that stuff. He didn’t do everything, but he did quite a bit. I think he probably told you how he’s feeling and how he’s looking. He was moving good and playing hard, and had great spirit out there today.”

Heading into day one of training camp, Embiid revealed that he was going to be extremely cautious heading into the new year. After appearing in fewer than 20 games last season, the veteran center is looking to avoid that type of scenario once again.

“We got a plan in place,” he said on Friday.

“Trying to check off all the boxes so just taking it day-by-day. This is still kind of like a feel period where we’re just taking it day by day. Keep getting stronger. Keep getting better. There’s been a few court sessions, so everything has been on schedule, but I think with the team we have planned, I think there’s not necessarily an expectation. It’s more about making sure everything is right and doing everything right and then going from there.”

When the Sixers reached training camp last year, Embiid wasn’t able to do much. He ended up missing the entire preseason, along with a chunk of games to begin the 2024-2025 regular season. Ultimately, he realized that a second surgery was required. Embiid’s season ended much sooner than expected.

With plenty of recovery this time around, Embiid seems to be in good shape so far. The Sixers will have to pay close attention and manage him moving forward, but they are embracing the new plan in place.

“I want to be as honest as possible,” Embiid explained on Friday. “I think going forward, I’m just gonna listen to the body. I’ll be honest and say it’s gonna be unpredictable at times, and that’s OK. We gotta work with that. We gotta take it day-by-day, and go from there.”

The Sixers will be back on the practice court for their second training camp session on Sunday. They are preparing for their first preseason game, which takes place next Thursday against the New York Knicks.