The Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid has been struggling with knee injuries for multiple seasons, having played a total of just 50 games since the beginning of the last campaign. After a left miniscus surgery back in January 2024, the 2023 MVP has powered through some difficult stretches, including the 2024 Olympics, during which he played a pivotal role for Team USA, returning with the gold medal.
And well, Drew Hanlen, widely considered to be the best skills trainer in the NBA, recently revealed details about the sheer determination Embiid has shown despite the constant injury absences.
“People didn't realize, so the Olympics happens. Obviously, people know that he was, you know, kind of dragging himself through the Olympics, but it was a chance for him to actually win. You know, he won a gold medal. Of course, they were a loaded team, but they don't win that, that gold medal without him in the Serbia game, you know?” Hanlen said per a post on X by ClutchPoints, referencing the Olympics semifinal which Team USA won 95-91.
"We got back in the lab. And he's like, 'I feel like myself again.' And the next game he had 39, and since then he's averaging like 30. That's how good he is."
NBA trainer Drew Hanlen on Joel Embiid looking like his old self again 🗣
(via @KevinOConnor)pic.twitter.com/HkuvvOYFl1
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 18, 2026
Hanlen revealed that Embiid simply decided to not do skill workouts after returning, instead prioritizing his health.
“After that, all the way until this season, mid-season, I think it was like December 10th, we didn't work out one time. This is a guy that I've worked out more times than anybody else because he is obsessed with basketball, but he, he couldn't work out because he was like: “You know what? I have to get my health right,” Hanlen said.
Embiid, who continues to be on a minutes restriction, effectively struggled due to a lack of basketball workout after being forced to take care of his knee. Hanlen referenced this behind-the-scenes work as one of the reasons why he struggled in the first part of the current campaign.
Drew Hanlen claims Embiid “feels like himself again.”
Hanlen went on to claim that Embiid was forced to use NBA games as a means to get back in shape, eventually deciding to grind it out like “old-school Joel.”
“And I remember at one point he was like: “Hey, I know I'm not really supposed to,” but, like, he's like: “Come up, we gotta figure out my jump shot. My mid-range is off, which is never off. My three is off, which is never off.” And so we did a workout, one workout, and we, like, grinded, like, old school Joel, like, hour and a half, should not have probably done it, but it was like we got back in the lab, and he's like, “I feel like myself again.” he said.
This led to him returning to his former levels, which also evidently has Hanlen convinced.
“And the next game, he had thirty-nine, and since then, he's averaging, like, thirty. That's how good he is,” he revealed.
With the 76ers also traversing through Paul George’s 25-game suspension, Embiid becomes even more important as they attempt to build on their current 30-24 record. The season is far from over, and despite Embiid’s latest absences, Hanlen’s claims surely give fans plenty of reason for optimism.
