CAMDEN, N.J. — Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers have made it a point to do everything possible to keep Embiid free of injuries. With the season right around the corner, the big man is slowly ramping his way back up, though he's waiting until the season actually begins to see live action.

The 76ers held Embiid out of scrimmages during training camp and are doing the same thing in their practices leading up to the 2024-25 season. Nick Nurse explained that such is the “new normal” for the big man this season and that it doesn’t prevent him from doing meaningful work during practices.

“I would say he's gonna be very limited in that stuff as the new normal,” Nurse said. “I think that he's moving pretty good. He's getting a lot of work in. He's out there in 60, 70 percent of team practice until we get to the real physical stuff.”

Nurse inferred that Embiid would eventually start doing some scrimmaging “pretty soon” but stressed that the Sixers are “trying to make sure we're not overdoing it here this early in the year.”

76ers preparing for season opener on Wednesday vs. Bucks

 

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As the Sixers prepare for their season opener on Wednesday against the Milwaukee Bucks, Joel Embiid did get some on-court work in against the team's player development staff. He made some plays on both ends of the floor and made it a point to ignite ball movement when he drew a double team. Although it was clearly not a full-speed game, it also wasn’t a walk in the park. The big man was active and competed hard, as did the staffers.

Nurse said that Embiid and Jared McCain, who is recovering from a pulmonary contusion, were partial participants in practice on Monday, neither of them participating in live scrimmages. Paul George, who hyperextended his left knee in Philly's preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday, did not participate, though he still did some light work after practice.

Tyrese Maxey was a full participant and confirmed that his right thumb, which he hurt in the 76ers' preseason finale on Friday, was feeling good. He seems very likely to be available for the season opener, while the statuses for Embiid, George and McCain are yet to be determined.

“I don't really have a level [of confidence] because they said tomorrow we should have a good idea on all three of 'em,” Nurse said. “I do know that just personally talking to 'em, they all feel pretty good. But until I see 'em a little bit more on the court will, I can't really decide that till after tomorrow's practice.”