The news that Philadelphia 76ers fans have been waiting to hear regarding Joel Embiid and his potential return from injury was revealed on Thursday. Longtime NBA insider Chris Haynes remarked that Embiid is likely good to go for the 76ers’ season opener next week against the Boston Celtics, but there is a catch to it.
During a recent episode of NBA TV’s, ‘The Association,’ Haynes reported that although Embiid will likely played against the Celtics, that he is going to be under a very tight restriction in terms of his availability.
“When he does return, I am told that he will be on a tight schedule,” Haynes said. “So just because he returns, it doesn’t mean he’s gonna be an every day available player. They’re going to be very cautious thought the rest of the season.”
In addition to being ready to play for opening night, Haynes also reported that Joel Embiid could make his return to the lineup from his injury as soon as Friday for the 76ers’ preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Embiid recently participated in the 76ers’ annual inter-team scrimmage, and there’s been speculation that he was close to a return.
It makes sense though that the organization would want to be as cautious and careful as possible when managing Embiid’s load this season. The knee issue that caused him to have surgery last spring has been a recurring issue.
This past season, Embiid was limited to only 19 games at a little over 30 minutes per game. He averaged 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists with splits of 44.4 percent shooting from the field, 29.9 percent shooting from the three-point line and 88.2 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
The 2022-23 NBA MVP, Embiid has had unfortunate luck with injuries during his career. After the 76ers selected him with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, he did not make his NBA debut until the 2016-17 season. He had a stretch from 2021-2023 of being relatively healthy, and that was when he won the MVP award as well as led the league in scoring.
