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76ers star Joel Embiid to be held out of preseason due to left knee injury management

Embiid is 'progressing well' with injury that significantly limited him last season, but he won't play until the 76ers' season opener later this month

ryan young
Staff writer
·2 min read

Joel Embiid’s preseason is over.

The Philadelphia 76ers announced Sunday that Embiid will be held out the rest of the preseason due to left knee injury management. Team doctors assessed Embiid on Thursday, according to NBC Sports’ John Clark. While they feel that he “is progressing well,” Embiid won’t take the court until the team’s season opener on Oct. 23.

Embiid appeared in 39 regular-season games last season while dealing with a meniscus injury, which he first sustained in late January. He underwent surgery and was expected to miss 6-8 weeks recovering. He returned in time for the playoffs, and he even dropped 50 points in Game 3 of Philadelphia's opening-round series against the New York Knicks, but the 76ers were knocked out in the first round. Embiid averaged 34.7 points and 11 rebounds per game.

Embiid joined Team USA during its gold medal run at the Olympics this past summer. He averaged 12 points and 3.8 rebounds per game in Paris. Embiid also signed a three-year, $193 million contract extension this past offseason.

He has been working to manage his knee better throughout the offseason, as he has a history of knee injuries, and said he lost nearly 30 pounds to try and take stress off his knees. Embiid did not travel with the 76ers to their preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Iowa on Friday or against the Celtics in Boston on Saturday. He was expected to be a limited participant throughout the preseason this fall, though he appeared in only one preseason game last year.

The 76ers went 47-35 last season and made the playoffs for the seventh straight campaign. The franchise has not made it to the Eastern Conference finals since the 2000-01 season. They’ve had a busy offseason to try and end that drought, adding Paul George in free agency while retaining Kelly Oubre Jr. and Kyle Lowry. Tyrese Maxey inked a long-term deal alongside Embiid’s extension, too.

Despite all of those moves, Embiid remains the 76ers' centerpiece. If they are going to finally make a deep postseason run, Embiid staying healthy all season will be critical.