JOEL Embiid

Embiid is not on the injury report. His October has followed a clear pattern. On Oct. 5 he was listed day-to-day for rest. He did not play against New York, and Philadelphia won. He was cleared on Oct. 8 and played 23.7 minutes against Brooklyn. It was a rough night: six points, three rebounds, three assists and a minus-8 in a loss. On Oct. 10 he was listed day-to-day for rest again and sat out a loss to Boston. He was cleared on Oct. 16 and has played in both games since. Both absences were listed as rest, not as a specific injury. He played 38 games last season. How Philadelphia manages his workload will be the story to watch all year.

When Embiid played last season, he produced. He averaged 26.9 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 31.6 minutes. He shot 48.9 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from three and 85.4 percent at the free-throw line. His true shooting mark was 60.5 percent. His usage rate was 33.6 percent, so the offense ran through him whenever he was out there. He added 1.2 blocks and 0.6 steals a game and committed 2.9 turnovers. Philadelphia was plus-4.1 with him on the floor. The problem was availability. He played 38 games in 2025-26. That is the number the front office and the coaching staff most need to change this season.

Embiid's last five games of last season came against Boston and New York. He played his best basketball of that stretch against the Celtics. On April 30 he had 19 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. On May 2 he scored 34 points with 12 rebounds and six assists in 39.1 minutes. Philadelphia won both games. The Knicks games went the other way. Embiid scored 14 points in 24.5 minutes on May 4, a minus-24 night. He had 18 points on May 8 and 24 on May 10. Philadelphia lost all three. The May 10 game was another minus-24, and it was his last game of the season. He has already faced both of those teams again this October.

Embiid's name keeps showing up in Philadelphia notes columns. An Oct. 21 roundup grouped him with James, Maxey and an item titled 'Helicopter.' On Oct. 19 he appeared alongside Walker, Simons, Philon, KCP and Nurse. An Oct. 18 column paired him with Maxey, Edgecombe, Wade and Barlow. On Oct. 8, a notes column via Dave McMenamin covered LeBron, Embiid, the preseason and Philon. These are headlines, not transactions. Nothing in them is a done deal, and none of it changes his status. Right now he is a center who is off the injury report, has played his team's last two games and is coming off a win over New York.