Call it crazy, but Philadelphia 76ers fans have reason to be optimistic ahead of next season. Things have been quiet on the Joel Embiid front since he was ruled out for last season due to a knee injury.
Fortunately, with training camp less than a month away, Sixers fans got their first glimpse of him on a basketball court courtesy of the Sixers themselves. In the short seven-second clip, Embiid is working on his post game, and he isn't wearing a knee brace.
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) September 10, 2025
That is encouraging, although Sixers fans should be cautious. After all, he was limited to just 19 games last season, and he hasn't played more than 70 games in any year of his career. Still, all things considered, it's better than what many had expected.
The Philadelphia 76ers have a lot riding on a healthy Joel Embiid
The Sixers find themselves in limbo heading into next season with injury concerns. Joel Embiid playing at least 60 games at a reasonable facsimile of his MVP self would be a game-changer for the Sixers.
Especially in a weakened Eastern Conference with both the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers missing stars Jason Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton, respectively. They will both be out for all of next season.
That opens the door for Philadelphia to fill the void, but first, they'll have to get healthy. Aside from Embiid, Paul George's health is a huge question mark. They might not get a healthy Embiid and George at the same time for much of next season.
Joel Embiid's health is a dark cloud over the Sixers' 2025-26 season
There have been no indications that he won't be ready for the start of next season, but with Embiid, there's almost always bad news. For all we know, the Sixers could announce that he'll be out until December despite getting a quick glimpse of him on the court.
That being said, both Embiid and George could each play at least half a season at a high level. That could be enough to lift the Sixers and get them back into the playoffs.
Even so, they will have to rely on their young core of Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain, and 2025 third overall pick V.J. Edgecombe to carry them from game to game. If they can, they have hope that all the pieces will come together at the right time for the first time in the Embiid era.