The Philadelphia 76ers added a key piece to the puzzle with the selection of VJ Edgecombe in the NBA Draft Wednesday night. But the bigger piece appears to be pointing towards a return to action.
Team president Daryl Morey told reporters at the draft that star center Joel Embiid is “attacking” his rehab from arthroscopic surgery last April. The injury ended the season of the two-time NBA scoring champion after just 19 games played.
“He’s very engaged, attacking rehab,” Morey said (thanks to ESPN for the quotes). “Doing everything he can to be out there. He had a meeting this week. All things, to use a NASA term, are nominal.
“Things are going well and expected, and we expect that to continue.”
The 76ers start training camp for the 2025-26 season early in September as they play the New York Knicks in Abu Dhabi in early October in preseason games. That will cut time for Embiid, but Morey does not believe it to be an issue.
“Things are on track to be ready right around there,” he said.
Embiid had surgery in February 2024 on a meniscus injury, returning for the playoffs. He was averaging almost 24 points, over eight rebounds and nearly five assists per game before being shutdown.
Overall, he has played in just 58 regular season games and seven postseason games since earning the NBA MVP award for the 2022-23 season. The former No. 3 pick posted 33 points and 10 rebounds per game that year and is averaging 27.7 points, 11 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.6 blocks over the course of his career.
