Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid, who made his season debut Tuesday night, will not play on Wednesday against the unbeaten Cleveland Cavaliers in the second game of a back-to-back, per ESPN. That's not necessarily a surprise after the 2023 NBA MVP center said in an interview with ESPN's Tim Bontemps prior to the start of the season that he didn't see himself playing in both games of a back-to-backs ever again in his career.
Embiid missed the first nine games of the season. He was dealing with what the team called "left knee management" and then received a three-game suspension for an altercation with a columnist in the 76ers locker room. But after Tuesday's 111-99 loss to the Knicks, Embiid opened the door to playing on Wednesday against the 12-0 Cavs.
"I know I said I would never play back-to-backs, but I'm a troll," Embiid said. "So I'm sure at some point I'll play. But I feel good, feel good right now. We're gonna see, but it's up to them."
Embiid said he wants to play, but that it's up to the medical staff to make that decision. "I can do whatever I want, but ultimately that's their decision, so just gonna leave it up to them. I'll be pushing, but also have to trust them."
Paul George is also expected to miss Wednesday's game, leaving the Sixers (who also won't have the services of All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey for at least another week) shorthanded once again.
Sixers coach Nick Nurse also said after the loss to the Knicks that it was not set in stone that Embiid and George would sit, despite the messaging at the start of the season that Philadelphia intended on not playing either stars in both games of back-to-backs.
At this rate, it just feels like the Sixers are taking things day by day. And something tells me this won't be the first time this season the Sixers tease that Embiid and George will play in both games of a back-to-back, only for them not to.
Regardless, the Sixers need to dig themselves out of the 2-8 hole they've created to start the season. With Embiid and George playing a combined six games between them to open the season, they've struggled to get anything going with their stars sidelined. And with them both being out again, it wouldn't be surprising if by the end of Wednesday night they're hanging another loss on their record.
The positive to this is that the Eastern Conference has proven to be incredibly weak this season, with only two teams -- the Cavaliers and Celtics -- with winning records. So Philadelphia can find some solace in the fact that while the Sixers are struggling, so is practically every other team in the conference.
