Is Joel Embiid’s season over for the 76ers?

Just two years on from his MVP-winning 2023 season, Joel Embiid looks like a shadow of his former self with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Embiid was benched for the struggling 76ers in Saturday night’s loss to the Brooklyn Nets. When he did make it onto the court his performance lacked the explosiveness that was previously his calling card, that lingering left knee injury still hampering movement.

The 30-year-old was just as passive in Thursday’s defeat against the Boston Celtics and is showing little sign of turning things around quickly. With the 76ers down in 12th in the Eastern Conference, with a 20-36 record, Philadelphia head coach Nick Nurse may consider the previously unthinkable, shutting down Embiid for the remainder of the season.

Is Joel Embiid injured?

The center has featured in just 19 games for the 76ers this season as he struggles to regain form after an injury suffered in January 2024. Embiid suffered a lateral meniscus injury in his left knee during a game against the Golden State Warriors when Jonathan Kuminga landed on his leg while diving for a ball.

Embiid was forced to undergo knee surgery and, although he returned to the court in April, the effects of that knock continue to hamper his performances. He missed the start of the 2024/25 season due to a problem with his knee and missed 15 straight games leading up to February 2025.

Since returning there is mounting evidence to suggest that all is not well with the one-time MVP. In recent days both the Celtics and the Nets have targeted Embiid and it is starting to affect the team. On Saturday night, Nurse sat Embiid while chasing the game in the fourth quarter; a clear sign of his defensive concerns.

The situation has been worsened by the allegations that Embiid is not doing all that he could to return to form. Last November Embiid was hit with a three-game unpaid suspension by the NBA for shoving a reporter that implied that that he had chosen to sit out games.

It’s a situation that is showing no signs of improving in the near future and both parties - Embiid and the Sixers - may be wondering what use there is in keeping the struggling star out on the court for the remainder of the season. So far the team have followed a path of “left knee injury management” to ease him back, but they may decide that shutting down Embiid is the best course for all involved.

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