Joel Embiid will be available for the Sixers in the team's preseason finale against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night, the team said Friday afternoon.
Chris Haynes reported on Friday morning that Embiid had been cleared to suit up. It will be the first time Embiid has played in a preseason contest since 2023, and the first time he has played in an NBA contest since February, the last of his 19 appearances during a nightmarish 2024-25 campaign.
Embiid, who underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee in April that came with a six-week re-evaluation period, has gradually increased his activity during the team's practices. He and the organization's lead decision-makers have preached patience as they "check boxes" in his recovery, but head coach Nick Nurse continually expressed during the week that Embiid suiting up in a preseason game for the first time in years was in play.
Nurse, who said on Thursday that the primary objective of Friday's game will be to have "main guys playing as long and as much together as we can," will have No. 3 overall pick VJ Edgecombe back in the fold after the rookie guard missed the team's third preseason contest due to hip soreness. Quentin Grimes is also slated make his first appearance of the preseason.
Otherwise, Paul George (knee) is not expected to be on the court until "a short time into the regular season," and Jared McCain (thumb) has a longer recovery ahead of him. Those should be the only players unavailable for the Sixers in what is shaping up to be a decent dress rehearsal game against a Timberwolves team on the second leg of a cruel preseason road back-to-back.
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