Although Philadelphia 76ers were excited to see new addition Paul George out on the floor with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, the trio has not played in a game together yet as a result of injuries to both George and Embiid.

While Maxey has remained healthy, George went down with a bone bruise in his left knee during the preseason. As for Embiid, the Sixers big man has not played at all, having missed the entire preseason and each of the team's four regular-season games so far.

It may not be too long, though, until Embiid is ready to get back with his team, according to ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania.

“I'm told he's essentially in the ramp-up phase of his debut process,” Charania said on ‘SportsCenter.' “He has completed, from what I'm told, multiple five-on-five scrimmages in recent days and so the Sixers want to make sure, from a conditioning perspective, his knee, his body is 100% before he makes it back out on the floor for his debut. He has workouts scheduled for today and on Friday to evaluate whether he's going to be able to make a return as soon as this weekend.

“This is all a part of what has been described to me as the new normal for Joel Embiid. That's going to include periodic time off at different points during the season. It's going to include routine checkups on his knee over the course of the season. And it is all part of the Sixers and Joel Embiid's new strategy this season on how to keep him healthy when he has never been, and that's for the playoffs.”

Joel Embiid gearing up for season debut with 76ers

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Embiid has struggled with injuries before making it to the NBA and since entering the league in 2014. His lone season at Kansas was cut short due to a back injury, and ahead of the NBA Draft, he suffered a foot injury that initially was expected to keep him out until the end of the calendar year.

However, the injury lingered and ultimately kept him out of the entire 2014-15 season and, following a setback, the entire 2015-16 season as well. He eventually made his debut in 2016, two years after being drafted, and showed his true potential. But injuries have still plagued Embiid, with the Cameroonian overcoming numerous obstacles, including multiple orbital fractures and knee injuries, as well as Bell's Palsy, with which he revealed during the 2024 playoffs he had been diagnosed.

Despite injuries and ailments looming, Embiid managed to win the 2023 NBA MVP and has been named an All-Star seven times and an All-NBA selection five times.

After a 105-95 loss last night to the Detroit Pistons, the Sixers (1-3) have a few days off before hosting Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies. After the weekend, the 76ers will embark on a West Coast road trip, with away games vs. the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Clippers, and Los Angeles Lakers before returning home next weekend.