The Philadelphia 76ers closed out preseason action with a 126-110 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, though Joel Embiid's return to the court stole the spotlight.
The 2022-23 NBA MVP logged 19 minutes during his return, recording 14 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and three steals while shooting 50 percent from the field. His comeback ahead of the regular season is a positive sign, as the seven-time All-Star played just 58 regular-season games over the past two seasons due largely to a lingering left knee injury.
The big man underwent surgery on his left meniscus in February 2024 but returned for the postseason. After appearing in only 19 regular-season games during the 2024-25 campaign, he had arthroscopic knee surgery in April.
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Joel Embiid focused on helping 76ers win
Now, Embiid aims to reclaim his spot among the league's elite and addressed criticism that his injuries have pushed him out of the NBA's top-100 rankings, according to PHLY Sports.
“According to a lot of your peers, I'm not even a top-100 basketball player in this league, so I guess I just got to fit in and see where I can help the team win basketball games,” Embiid said. “If that's playing defense, stretching the floor, that's what I'm going to do. But we got a bunch of athletes — we got to release them… my job is to try to find them, and that also saves me because if we get early baskets and easy baskets, I won't have to run up and down.”
The 76ers are still expected to manage Embiid's playing time this season, and he'll likely receive maintenance days throughout the season, particularly in back-to-back sets.
Still, his return is a massive boost for a Sixers squad looking to bounce back after a disappointing finish last year. With the Eastern Conference relatively wide open, a mostly healthy Philadelphia roster has the pieces to make significant noise.
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