Embiid warns he has no return date to basketball

“There’s not necessarily an expectation; it’s more about making sure everything is right and doing everything right and then go from there.” Joel Embiid’s words on when he expects to return — there is not necessarily one — will strike a sense of fear/despair/desperation (delete as appropriate) into the hearts of 76ers fans around the country.

Embiid underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee back in April, and despite saying he feels “pretty good”, is proceeding with care. Better, he believes, is a prioritisation of doing “everything right” over making public a rigid timetable by which he can be judged.

Last season was a difficult one for the MVP-level centre: knee issues plagued him and a foot sprain hit to limit him to just 19 games all season, the fewest since his rookie campaign in the NBA.

“I’ve gotten to this point because of how good I am”

In recent weeks, Philadelphia’s front office and coaching staff have echoed his message, with president of basketball operations Daryl Morey saying that the team are categorically “not getting into the expectations game."

“The doctors’ advice, what Joel said on listening to his body, which is a big component on how doctors manage injuries,” Morey added, “that’s going to be what carries the day this year.”

“At times you can’t get out of yourself,” Embiid admitted. “All I know is, ever since I started this, to play hard, play both ends. There’s a lot of people in the league that play one side, whether it’s offense or defense. A lot of times for me, my mentality is to do whatever it takes to win. For all of my career, it’s been having to do both.”

When, not if, Embiid does return, he says there will be no change to the way he plays on the court: “I’ve gotten to this point because of how good I am at both ends of the floor. If you ask me to change the way I play, the only guess that I have is either play offence fully and take plays off defensively, which doesn’t suit me. I don’t think I’d ever be OK with that. I don’t know. We’ll just wait and see. If it’s gotta be that way, it’s definitely going to be an adjustment, but I don’t see that happening.”

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For Paul George, the 76ers’ other star, the road back is similarly wobbly. He had surgery in July to address a left knee injury sustained during a workout, and while swelling has decreased, full-contact practice is still out of reach. As the clock ticks down ahead of the new season, the pressure ramps up on the streets of Philadelphia.

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