The Philadelphia 76ers have held things rather close to the chest as it pertains to the status of Joel Embiid and Paul George. Neither star has played since the regular season tipped off, and Embiid didn't even participate in the preseason as he continues treatment on his left knee. A timeline on their returns is still hazy, as both players are expected to miss Wednesday night's home game against the Detroit Pistons, but they'll be reevaluated later this week, per ESPN.
Embiid is coming off a meniscus tear late last season, but he was able to return in time for the Sixers' first-round playoff series loss to the Knicks. He reaggravated his knee during that series, though that didn't slow him down in being able to participate in the summer Olympics with Team USA and winning a gold medal. Given that he was a full participant during the Olympics, it was assumed that he was healthy for training camp, preseason and beyond. However, that has not been the case, as the Sixers plan on taking an extra cautious approach with the league MVP this season. Embiid has said that he doesn't see himself playing in back-to-back games ever again in his career, and recalled texting Daryl Morey, "We got to do whatever it takes to make sure that in the postseason I'm healthy."
As for George, he's overcoming a hyperextended knee he sustained during the preseason on Oct. 14, and has yet to be cleared for action. The All-Star forward avoided a serious injury, and he's not expected to miss a great deal of time, but it's he's now been sidelined for two weeks. George's absence is less surprising given he picked up the injury during the preseason, but Embiid being out has resulted in the NBA investigating the Sixers and their handling of the situation. With the new player participation policy, which creates a stricter set of guidelines for teams to rest players who may not be injured, the league is clearly wondering if Embiid is truly unable to play, or if he and the Sixers are trying to work their way around the system.
Given Embiid's injury history it makes sense why the Sixers would want to be cautious with the star big man. But he had zero restrictions during Olympic play, and there were no reports that he picked up any new injury, so it's rather head scratching that he was already ruled out for the team's first week of regular season games. It sounds as though we'll get an update later this week on both Embiid and George's status, but with only two games scheduled this week -- Wednesday vs. Detroit and Saturday vs. Memphis -- and an upcoming three-game road trip after that, it feels like a real possibility we won't see them both until the second week of November.
