Joel Embiid looms large at seven feet, but his health concerns loom even larger.
The Philadelphia 76ers sit at 33-26 and are the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference entering the home stretch of the regular season. All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey, who recently surpassed Allen Iverson in the franchise record books, is categorically awesome. No. 3 overall pick VJ Edgecombe has been a pleasant surprise alongside Maxey. All that said, the 76ers need a relatively healthy Embiid to mount a deep playoff run.
Embiid, 31, and the Sixers have been managing ankle and knee ailments throughout this season, but a new concern has emerged.
“Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with a strained right oblique and will miss the next three games,” The Athletic‘s Tony Jones reported on Saturday evening.
The Sixers will play at Boston on Sunday, then host San Antonio and Utah next Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.
Since winning MVP four seasons ago, Embiid has struggled to stay healthy. In January 2024, Embiid suffered a torn meniscus that required surgery. That April, he was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy. He finished the 2023-24 season with 39 games played.
The 2024-25 season was marred from the start, as Embiid missed the regular-season opener and didn’t debut until Nov. 12. His knee kept him out for large swaths of the early months of the year — he also suffered a sinus fracture in December 2024 — before he was eventually ruled out for the remainder of the season in February 2025. He played a total of 19 games.
Embiid has been limited to 33 games so far, largely because the 76ers have taken an intentional approach to preserve him this season. Embiid is averaging 26.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.1 blocks. According to the Associated Press, the seven-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA honoree averaged 29 points per game in February, which was the best in the Eastern Conference in that span.
But Embiid is on the floor, he regularly reminds everyone why he was the 2023 NBA MVP.
It’s just a matter of whether his body will let him.