Even The Sixers 'Don't Know' About Joel Embiid's Availability This Season

The Philadelphia 76ers' season hangs in the balance on Joel Embiid's knee. But even after an entire offseason of rehab, the team still has no idea when or if their superstar former MVP will be able to play. That's the word from insider Shams Charania:

Shams on Joel Embiid & the 76ers:

"My understanding is even the Philadelphia 76ers don't know exactly when Joel Embiid is going to play, when he's not gonna be playing"

h/t @ohnohedidnt24 pic.twitter.com/Upl7QG1jeP
— NBA Retweet (@RTNBA) September 26, 2025

"My understanding is even the Philadelphia 76ers don't know exactly when Joel Embiid is going to play, when he's not gonna be playing."

Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey confirmed Charania's reporting, saying even the team doctors don't know when or how often Embiid will play:

Philadelphia 76ers President Daryl Morey says team doctors do NOT know when Joel Embiid will return or how often he will play in the 2025-26 NBA season.

Thoughts? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/XTOSQCQGuq
— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) September 26, 2025

According to Charania, this is a carryover from last year as well, when Embiid missed 63 games due to those left knee issues.

"There were moments last season when there was built-up frustration that was occurring in the locker room and around the coaching staff," said Charania, "about Joel Embiid's availability. No one literally knew, and it created confusion around that organization.

"The reality is, his knee issues have been debilitating. He's essentially going to have to master learning how to play through issues and pain thresholds on any given day."

In the 19 games that Embiid managed to play last season, he averaged 23.8 points, his lowest in five years. The previous three campaigns he finished at better than 30 ppg, including his MVP season of 2022-23. In '23-'24 he only played 39 games, and he has never played more than 68.

As Embiid goes, the Sixers go, so they'll be praying that his knee holds up. The 31-year-old has averaged 27.7 points per game in his nine-year career, with 11 rebounds and 1.6 blocked shots. His 8.3 made free throws per game is an all-time NBA career record.