The Philadelphia 76ers are looking to finally turn the corner and make it to the NBA Finals behind star center and former MVP Joel Embiid.
A big part of the challenge for Embiid has been entering the playoffs healthy. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear like that’s a problem that’s going away for the Sixers any time soon. ESPN’s Tim Bontemps reported on Sunday that Embiid will be out for the preseason due to concerns around his left knee.
“The Sixers say Joel Embiid is progressing well in his ramp up process for his left knee, and will continue to stay on an individual treatment plan to prepare for the upcoming regular season. The team makes it official he won’t play in any preseason games,” Bontemps tweeted.
The Sixers say Joel Embiid is progressing well in his ramp up process for his left knee, and will continue to stay on an individual treatment plan to prepare for the upcoming regular season. The team makes it official he won’t play in any preseason games.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) October 13, 2024
Fans online reacted to news that Embiid was already dealing with injuries.
“Joke he plays in the Olympics for no reason and now he can’t play for the team just paid him a super max,” one fan said on Twitter.
“Trading Embidd is way overdue, Sixers will not win with him nor without him. He should be gone for 4 played & 4 first Rd picks to someone, Pelicans, Utah, Portland, OKC whoever the draft capital to accommodate the Sixers trade demands. He can t play 50 games healthy. Whats that?” another fan tweeted.
“This is starting too early. I just feel bad for teammates who count on him to carry the team to a championship. For us fans, we already know: different year, same story with Embiid,” a fan added.
“Why can’t we just have nice things,” someone wanted to know.
It clear that Embiid has some issues that are never going to go away. It’ll be interesting to see if this is the season the Sixers finally decide to cut ties and move on from the injury-plagued star.