The Philadelphia 76ers announced on Sunday that star center Joel Embiid will miss the remainder of the pre-season as part of managing his left knee injury.
Embiid did not travel with the team for their three-game preseason road trip, which included stops in Iowa on Friday and Boston on Saturday.
Sources indicate that the focus is on ensuring Embiid is in optimal condition for the regular season and that his knee is as close to full strength as possible.
Last season, Embiid only participated in one pre-season game, and the expectation for this year was similarly low regarding his involvement.
Now, the earliest Embiid is expected to suit up for the 76ers will be during their season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks on 23 October in Philadelphia.
After dealing with a knee injury last season that limited him to just 39 games and ended his chances of defending his MVP title, Embiid has reportedly shed 25 to 30 pounds heading into this season.
Joel Embiid doesn’t plan to play in back-to-backs for the rest of his career
“If I had to guess. I would probably never play back-to-backs the rest of my career.”
(Via @TimBontemps ) pic.twitter.com/QhK2cu2UPV
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 14, 2024
He has also expressed plans to lose more weight to reduce the strain on his knee.
Philadelphia enters the upcoming season with some of the highest expectations of the Embiid era, following a highly successful off-season.
The 76ers signed Paul George in free agency, extended both Embiid and Tyrese Maxey to long-term contracts, and re-signed key players like Kelly Oubre Jr. and Kyle Lowry.
Additionally, they added Caleb Martin, Eric Gordon, and Andre Drummond to bolster their roster.
George made his preseason debut on Friday in Iowa, but all eight of the new additions sat out Saturday’s game in Boston, which was the second night of a back-to-back.
