Joel Embiid Rumors: 76ers Star 'Looks Good Physically' in Workouts amid Injury Probe

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid reportedly had strong workouts this week amid his in-game absence due to left knee injury management.

According to ESPN's Tim Bontemps, Embiid worked out in front of media members Monday and Tuesday, and sources have said he "looks good physically."

The Sixers announced Tuesday that Embiid would miss the first week of the season to manage his knee ailment after he did not play at all during the preseason.

In response, NBA officials told ESPN's Shams Charania they were launching an investigation into Embiid's participation or lack thereof.

Charania noted that it is "typical for the NBA to review a team anytime a superstar player misses a nationally televised game," which was the case with Embiid when the 76ers lost their season-opening game to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.

Per Bontemps, the 76ers are taking a cautious approach with Embiid early in the season in hopes that he will be healthy in the spring for an anticipated playoff run.

Embiid, 30, has a lengthy injury history, as he has never appeared in more than 68 games in a single NBA season.

He missed each of his first two seasons entirely due to injury and in the eight seasons since then, he has played 51 or fewer games four times.

The seven-time All-Star and two-time NBA scoring champion played in a career-high 68 regular-season games in 2021-22 and followed that up with 66 in 2022-23.

After finishing second in the NBA MVP voting in 2022, he finally won it in 2023 by averaging 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.7 blocks per game.

Last season, the 7-footer remained dominant on a per-game basis, averaging 34.7 points, 11.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.7 blocks, but he appeared in only 39 games due to a meniscus injury in his left knee, which required surgery.

Embiid returned to appear in six playoff games, and although he averaged 33.0 points per contest, he shot only 44.4 percent from the field. which suggested he was far from being fully healthy.

Despite his injury woes, Embiid played for Team USA at the 2024 Olympics in Paris over the summer, winning a gold medal.

Team USA head coach Steve Kerr was careful in usage of Embiid, as he sat out one of the team's six games and was only seventh on the team with 16.8 minutes played per contest.

Embiid is set to miss the 76ers' road games against the Toronto Raptors on Friday and the Indiana Pacers on Sunday, but if all goes well, he could potentially make his season debut against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday.