Joel Embiid kicked off the 76ers’ media day five minutes early, with a “‘Sup, guys?” as he settled in for his first news conference in more than seven months. Up next was Paul George, who faced questions for the first time since a July arthroscopic knee surgery.
After injuries derailed their first season as teammates, Embiid and George expressed optimism about their health less than a month before the Sixers’ regular-season opener. But neither player is expected to be a full participant when the team opens an abbreviated training camp Saturday, before traveling to Abu Dhabi for two preseason games next week.
And rather than predict when Embiid and George will be ready to return, both players and Sixers leadership said Friday that everybody must be content with a day-to-day approach to their recovery.
“Going forward, we’re just going to listen to the body,” Embiid said. “I’ll be honest and say it’s going to be unpredictable at times, and that’s OK. We’re going to work with that. … If there’s something that happens in that time, it’s OK. Focus on fixing it, and keep going. That’s my mentality. I understand the situation that I’m in.”
Added George: “I’m feeling more and more like myself each day, and that’s the most important thing. … I like where I’m at. I like how we’ve progressed things, and that’s the only way I can look at it right now.”
Both players also were candid in recognizing how crucial their availability is to the Sixers, who entered last season with championship aspirations before face-planting into a 24-58 record. Embiid and George, two perennial All-Stars before last season, appeared in a combined 60 games — and were practically always playing through some type of ailment. Embiid said Friday that, “obviously, we know that, for us, the biggest thing is health” in staging a turnaround. George added that his ultimate goal is to get back to “the Paul George that they went out and recruited last summer.”
After sustaining his latest knee injury during an offseason workout, George said Friday that he is now able to participate in “pretty much everything but full-contact” drills. That includes weightlifting, stationary drills, and one- and two-dribble moves on court. The “best possible news,” the 35-year-old George added, is that swelling in the knee has been decreasing.
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“I don’t think there’s a timeline,” George said. “It’s kind of just how the body is doing, how it’s ramping up the work.”
Embiid, the 2022-23 NBA Most Valuable Player whose ongoing knee issues resulted in another surgery in April, was more vague when asked to describe his current workload. He said he has had “a few court sessions” — which the Sixers’ social-media team captured on photo and video — and that “everything is on schedule.”
“We made a lot of progress over the last couple months,” Embiid said. “We’ve got a plan in place, trying to check all the boxes. … This is still kind of a feeling-out period, where we’re just taking it day-by-day. Keep getting stronger. Keep getting better.
“There’s not necessarily an expectation. It’s more about making sure everything is right, and doing everything right, and then going from there.”
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During a joint news conference Friday, Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and coach Nick Nurse also were careful and precise with their words about Embiid’s and George’s timetables to return. Morey said that adding Dr. Jonathan Glashow, who performed Embiid’s surgery, to the big man’s personal health team has been “a real positive,” and that there has been “constant consultation” with both players and medical staff.
Morey also believes the Sixers can better “buffer” Embiid and/or George absences with their younger, athletic offseason roster additions, such as third-overall draft pick VJ Edgecombe, versatile forward Trendon Watford, and high-energy big man Jabari Walker. Nurse added that, stylistically, the Sixers must be quicker in getting back on defense and in pushing the ball into the offensive end — and maintaining that system no matter who is on the floor.
And when those missed games inevitably arrive, Nurse said, “We need to just be able to forge forward immediately.”
“If you want to take the punch in the gut for a second, that’s fine,” Nurse said. “That’s all you’ve got is a second.”
And whenever Embiid and George are available, do they plan to alter their approach — either in an effort to preserve health, or better fit this roster at this stage of their careers?
George said he is open to playing more power forward, and “[letting] the young guys go out and play the wing positions” while he spaces the floor and handles the ball as a “point four.” Embiid, meanwhile, exhaled and said “it’s tough” to envision himself changing his style, because of his impact as a three-level scorer on offense and defensive rim protector.
“I’ve gotten to this point because of how good I am on both ends of the floor,” said Embiid, who averaged 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 19 games last season. “So if you asked me to change the way I play, the only guess that I have is either play offense fully and take plays off defensively, which doesn’t suit me. I don’t think I would ever be OK with that, so I don’t know. We’ll just wait and see.
“If it’s got to be that way, it’s definitely going to be an adjustment. But I don’t see that happening.”
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For now, the Sixers will move into formal practices without their two biggest names. When asked Friday about reasonable team expectations following that woeful, injury-riddled 2024-25 season, Embiid said he is “past the stage of focusing on ceilings.”
Because …
“The main focus is just taking it day-by-day.”