Joel Embiid Reportedly Yet to Resume On-Court Activities but Morey, 76ers 'Optimistic'
Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid has not yet gotten back on the court after missing most of the 2024-25 season due to knee injuries.
Per The Athletic's Tony Jones, Embiid hasn't resumed on-court activities this offseason.
However, Jones noted Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and the rest of the front office are "optimistic" the star center will be ready when the regular season begins.
Morey told reporters on the day of the 2025 NBA draft that Embiid was "on track" to be ready around the time the 76ers open training camp.
Injuries are a common theme of Embiid's career, and a knee setback ended his 2024-25 season after he appeared in just 19 games. The 76ers announced in February he would miss the rest of the campaign "to focus on treatment and rehabilitation."
While the big man is one of the best players in the league when healthy, he has struggled to stay on the court since taking home the 2022-23 MVP. He appeared in just 39 games in 2023-24 before playing in even fewer last season.
He also missed the first two years of his career and has never played more than 68 games in a single season since entering the league as the No. 3 overall pick of the 2014 NBA draft.
Still, his resume includes that MVP, two scoring titles, five All-NBA selections, three All-Defensive nods and seven All-Star game selections. Embiid is a two-way force at his best who can take over games and elevate the 76ers in the Eastern Conference standings.
Yet the only way they can realistically compete for the championship he is still searching for in 2025-26 is if he remains relatively healthy and able to contribute more than he has the past two seasons.
