The Sixers said that Joel Embiid was a partial participant in Monday morning’s practice and that he will miss the team's next two games. They also stated that he is responding well to left knee treatment.
The Sixers announced on Jan. 17 that Embiid, who had missed the prior six games with a left foot sprain, was now experiencing swelling in his left knee and would be re-evaluated in approximately 7-10 days.
Embiid missed the first six games of the season due to left knee injury management and the next three because of a suspension. He played in four of the next five games before missing another seven in a row due to increased swelling in his left knee, which has been repaired via surgery on multiple occasions, namely last February after Embiid suffered a torn meniscus.
After returning, Embiid played in nine of the Sixers' following dozen contests. One of his absences was due to a sinus fracture which has forced him to wear a mask when playing ever since, the other two came on back-to-backs. But in the middle of that stretch on Dec. 25, Embiid suffered a left foot sprain near the end of the Sixers' intense victory over the Boston Celtics.
The play in which Joel Embiid seemed to suffer his left foot sprain on Dec. 25: pic.twitter.com/pL7PBQdVPQ
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) January 16, 2025
The situation became extremely confusing from there. Embiid played in four of the team's next five games — again, the lone absence was on a back-to-back — but before each of those four games, he was listed as questionable due to his foot sprain.
Then things changed quite a bit, as Embiid missed six games in a row, all with his foot sprain as the listed injury. He was made questionable and a game-time decision for the fourth of those six contests, but then ruled out 30 minutes prior to tip-off. It seemed to at least signal that he was nearing a return, but then Embiid was ruled out on initial injury reports for two games against elite teams.
That's when the Sixers issued their Jan. 17 update that that Embiid's foot sprain had healed, but after he had undergone an on-court workout, swelling in his knee had reappeared. That ruled him out for an additional three games.
Embiid, 30, signed a $193 million contract extension soon before training camp which ties him to the Sixers for three additional years after the two remaining on his current deal. But to date, the team has failed in its efforts to devise a plan which keeps Embiid on the floor and healthy. The former NBA MVP's ability to be available consistently enough to anchor a team with the Sixers' lofty aspirations has been called into question time and time again as their disastrous season has progressed.
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