Joel Embiid did not suffer setback before being shut down for the season, 76ers coach Nick Nurse says

Philadelphia 76ers coach Nick Nurse told reporters on Saturday prior to the team’s game against the Golden State Warriors that star big man Joel Embiid did not suffer a setback before the team shut him down for the remainder of the season due to a lingering left knee injury. 

“Not that I know of, no,” Nurse said when asked directly if Embiid had a recent setback. “It’s felt good at times, and it’s felt not good as good at times. I think it’s been an up and down thing. That’s it. It gets to points where it feels a little bit better and we go play and it swells up again and it doesn’t feel that good and he can’t play as well, he can’t move as well. It’s just kind of been going like that.”

76ers shut down Joel Embiid: Knee injury ends former MVP’s season as team determines treatment plan

James Herbert

Embiid, who had surgery on his left meniscus in January of 2024, had been trying to manage his knee issue all season. Repeated instances of pain and swelling left him unable to play for long stretches, however, and when he was on the floor, he rarely looked like himself. In 19 games, Embiid averaged 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists on a career-worst 44.4% shooting from the field.

On multiple occasions throughout February, he admitted that he was struggling with the situation and hinted at possibly needing another surgery. 

“I don’t know, I’m sure you can figure it out,” Embiid said on Feb. 21 after a loss to the Boston Celtics. “The way I was playing a year ago, is not the way I’m playing right now. It sucks, but I believe I probably need, you know, to fix the problem, and then I’ll be back at that level. But it’s hard to have the trust when you’re not yourself.”

After Embiid sat out of the team’s last two games in February, they made the call to rule him out for the remainder of the season. The 76ers declared him “medically unable to play” and stated that they are “working with medical experts to determine the exact treatment plan and will update media when we have more information.” 

It’s unclear at this time if Embiid will need another procedure on his knee in the coming weeks or months. Likewise, it remains to be seen if he will ever be able to return to his MVP level. 

The Sixers will certainly hope so, as they gave Embiid a three-year, $193 million extension last September that guarantees him a total of $299.5 million through the 2028-29 season. Their short- and long-term plans are all contingent on Embiid being one of the best players in the world.