<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-joel-embiid-paul-george-heavy-day-hope');   ga('set', 'title', 'Joel Embiid, Paul George’s ‘heavy’ day brings 76ers new hope');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/76ers-stars-Joel-Embiid-and-Paul-George-in-Grizzlies-game.jpg"><figcaption>Bill Streicher-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Joel Embiid, Paul George’s ‘heavy’ day brings 76ers new hope</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-19T11:20:55-07:00">October 19th, 11:20am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-19T11:20:55-07:00">October 19th, 11:20am</time><address><a>Yasmin Edañol</a>Yasmin D.G. Edañol is a PhD candidate in Chemistry at the University of the Philippines Diliman, with a background in scientific research and publishing. He brings a data-driven perspective to sports storytelling as an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints, with a focus on the NBA. Whether it's breaking down a clutch play or a stat line, he believes every great moment has a deeper layer waiting to be uncovered.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Philadelphia <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-joel-embiid-most-happy-preseason-debut">76ers star Joel Embiid made his long-awaited return in the NBA preseason</a>. His presence gave the 76ers a major boost heading into the NBA regular season. Meanwhile, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-why-paul-george-is-unlikely-to-be-ready-for-regular-season-opener">Paul George will reportedly miss the season opener</a> as the team continues to manage his recovery. Even so, both stars joined what head coach Nick Nurse described as a “pretty heavy day” of practice. The demanding session signaled <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-hottest-bold-prediction-2025-26-nba-season">positive momentum for the 76ers’ upcoming NBA season</a>.</p><p>PHLY Sports’ Kyle Neubeck <a href="https://x.com/KyleNeubeck/status/1979950703691927749" rel="noopener">reported</a> that Embiid and George were full participants in Monday’s session, which included intense five-on-five drills. During practice, Nurse said the two veterans “went all the way through” a physically demanding workout that pushed the team to test its chemistry and conditioning. For the first time this preseason, both of the 76ers’ top players practiced together at full strength.</p><p>Both Embiid and George handled the session without restrictions, completing every segment of the heavy workout. Their full participation marked a key step in building rhythm and continuity for the group. The 76ers continue to manage workloads carefully, keeping long-term durability and team health as top priorities heading into the regular season.</p><p>In his post-practice comments, Nurse emphasized the importance of steady progress instead of rushing players back too soon. The heavy practice day, however, showed that the group is beginning to find its rhythm. Meanwhile, forward Trendon Watford <a href="https://x.com/KyleNeubeck/status/1979949914542018614" rel="noopener">served</a> as a partial participant, while the rest of the roster took part in competitive scrimmages to strengthen team cohesion before the final tune-ups.</p><p>So far, the 76ers have not released official status updates for Wednesday’s game, but the mood around the facility remains optimistic. With Joel Embiid back in rhythm and Paul George nearing readiness, Nick Nurse’s system continues to take shape. The “heavy day” might be the spark that propels the 76ers toward a strong start to the season.</p><p>After last year’s disappointing 24-58 record, can the 76ers flip the script and rise back into contention this time around?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Joel Embiid, Paul George’s ‘heavy’ day brings 76ers new hope

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-joel-embiid-most-happy-preseason-debut');   ga('set', 'title', '76ers’ Joel Embiid reveals what he’s ‘most happy about’ from preseason debut');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Joel-Embiid.jpg"><figcaption>Kyle Ross-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>76ers’ Joel Embiid reveals what he’s ‘most happy about’ from preseason debut</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-18T05:38:20-07:00">October 18th, 5:38am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-18T05:38:20-07:00">October 18th, 5:38am</time><address><a>Jayesh Pagar</a>Jayesh Pagar is currently pursuing Sports Journalism from the London School of Journalism and brings four years of experience in sports media coverage. He has contributed extensively to NBA, WNBA, college basketball, and college football content, delivering in-depth analysis and breaking news coverage across multiple platforms.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Joel Embiid returned to action on October 17 in the Philadelphia 76ers’ preseason finale against the Minnesota Timberwolves, his first game since late February. The seven-time All-Star logged 19 minutes after missing nearly eight months recovering from left knee surgery.</p><p>Speaking after his return, Embiid opened up about <a href="https://x.com/DerekBodnerNBA/status/1979362188189143093" rel="noopener">what the moment meant to him</a>.</p><p>“I’m just in a good space mentally, physically. I’m just happy to touch a basketball and be able to do what I love. When you don’t get that, it’s tough. That’s what I’m most happy about,” Embiid said postgame, according to Derek Bodner on X.</p><p>Embiid finished with 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting, seven rebounds, eight assists, and three steals against the Timberwolves. He launched a three-pointer just seven seconds after tipoff, eager to shake off the rust from his extended absence.</p><p>Coach Nick Nurse managed his minutes carefully, playing him six minutes in the first quarter, three minutes in the second quarter, and short stints in the third quarter before shutting him down for the night. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-joel-embiids-return-draws-reaction-nick-nurse">Nurse said afterward he was pleased with Embiid’s performance</a> and that the game went according to plan.</p><p>Philadelphia outscored Minnesota by 12 points during Embiid’s time on the floor in the 126-110 victory. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-vj-edgecombe-slams-with-authority-first-game-joel-embiid">Rookie VJ Edgecombe put on a show with 26 points</a>, giving fans a glimpse of the team’s future alongside their returning franchise centerpiece.</p><p>The 2023 MVP underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in April 2025, his second knee operation in 14 months. Persistent swelling and pain limited him to just 19 games last season, where he averaged 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists before the 76ers shut him down on February 28.</p><p>His rehab stretched through the summer and into fall, with gradual progression through shooting work and team practices. Philadelphia is taking a careful approach to ensure its star player stays healthy.</p><p>Embiid expressed confidence about playing consistently once Philadelphia opens the regular season on October 22 against the Boston Celtics. His controlled return and positive mindset offer hope that Philadelphia’s championship window remains open with their franchise center back on the court.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

76ers’ Joel Embiid reveals what he’s ‘most happy about’ from preseason debut

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-joel-embiids-return-draws-reaction-nick-nurse');   ga('set', 'title', '76ers’ Joel Embiid’s return draws ‘pleased’ reaction from Nick Nurse');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Joel-Embiids-return-draws-pleased-reaction-from-Nick-Nurse.jpg"><figcaption>© Bill Streicher-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>76ers’ Joel Embiid’s return draws ‘pleased’ reaction from Nick Nurse</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-17T20:36:34-07:00">October 17th, 8:36pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-17T20:36:34-07:00">October 17th, 8:36pm</time><address><a>Jayesh Pagar</a>Jayesh Pagar is currently pursuing Sports Journalism from the London School of Journalism and brings four years of experience in sports media coverage. He has contributed extensively to NBA, WNBA, college basketball, and college football content, delivering in-depth analysis and breaking news coverage across multiple platforms.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Joel Embiid stepped back onto the court Friday night for the first time in eight months, playing in the Philadelphia 76ers’ preseason finale against Minnesota. The 76ers cruised to a 126-110 victory, with all eyes on how their franchise center would look after such a long absence. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-vj-edgecombe-slams-with-authority-first-game-joel-embiid">night also belonged to rookie VJ Edgecombe</a>, who put on a show with 26 points.</p><p>Senior ESPN reporter Tim Bontemps posted on X that coach Nick Nurse <a href="https://x.com/TimBontemps/status/1979359707266732289" rel="noopener">was pleased with what he saw</a> from Embiid.</p><p>“Nick Nurse said he was pleased with how Joel Embiid looked and that the game went according to plan, with now the focus being on how his body responds to playing, but that it was a very positive performance,” Bontemps wrote.</p><p>Embiid posted 14 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists in just 19 minutes of action. He added three steals and nearly notched a triple-double while being eased back into game action. The 76ers outscored the Timberwolves by 12 points during his time on the floor.</p><p>This marked Embiid’s first game since February, when he was sidelined after just 19 games. He underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in April after ongoing swelling and pain in his left knee, which forced him to shut down for the season. Philadelphia limped to a disastrous 24-58 finish and missed the playoffs.</p><p>Nurse stuck to his plan of keeping Embiid’s <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/76ers/news/sixers-nick-nurse-reveals-plan-for-joel-embiid-vs-timberwolves-01k7t20e7twk" rel="noopener">minutes limited throughout the contest</a>. The big man played roughly six minutes to start the game, returned for three minutes early in the second quarter, and made another appearance in the third before sitting out the fourth quarter entirely as part of the team’s careful approach.</p><p>The caution reflects Philadelphia’s determination to keep its star healthy for what they hope will be a deep playoff run. The 76ers added Paul George last offseason to form a new Big Three alongside Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, but that trio’s success hinges on Embiid’s availability. Philadelphia opens the regular season against the Boston Celtics on October 22, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-why-paul-george-is-unlikely-to-be-ready-for-regular-season-opener">though George remains unavailable for that matchup</a>.</p><p>The focus now shifts to how Embiid’s body responds to game action and whether he’ll be ready for the season opener. After last season’s collapse, the 76ers need their MVP center healthy and on the court if they hope to compete in the Eastern Conference.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

76ers’ Joel Embiid’s return draws ‘pleased’ reaction from Nick Nurse

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-vj-edgecombe-slams-with-authority-first-game-joel-embiid');   ga('set', 'title', '76ers’ VJ Edgecombe slams with authority in first game with Joel Embiid');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/VJ-Edgecombe-slams-with-authority-in-first-game-with-Joel-Embiid-2.jpg"><figcaption>Bill Streicher-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>76ers’ VJ Edgecombe slams with authority in first game with Joel Embiid</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-17T19:02:30-07:00">October 17th, 7:02pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-17T19:02:30-07:00">October 17th, 7:02pm</time><address><a>Richard Pereira</a>Richard Pereira joined ClutchPoints in January 2025 as an Associate Editor. He earned his degree from Florida Atlantic University in 2023 and has been covering the school's athletic programs since 2020, having served as a Sports Editor at the FAU University Press. He was granted the unique opportunity to report on the men's basketball team's journey to the Final Four in Houston for FAU Owls Nest during March Madness, consistently striving to grow as a sports journalist.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>VJ Edgecombe commemorated his first NBA game with Joel Embiid on the court by pulled off a great slam dunk during the Philadelphia <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-joel-embiid-cleared-for-preseason-debut-on-friday-vs-timberwolves">76ers’ preseason finale against the Minnesota Timberwolves</a> on Friday night.</p><p>Edgecombe is gearing up for his rookie season in the league, being the 76ers’ third overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft. As for Embiid, he made his first appearance in a game after injuries cut his 2024-25 campaign short.</p><p>Edgecombe <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1979338253775048952" rel="noopener">didn’t take long to get the dunks going</a> in the matchup. Embiid had direct involvement with the first slam during the initial minutes of the game, providing the inbound pass to an open Edgecombe for a two-handed dunk as he held onto the rim with one hand after the play.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">VJ Edgecombe with the SLAM 😤<a href="https://t.co/u2Wfq7IZ8y">pic.twitter.com/u2Wfq7IZ8y</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1979338253775048952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>Another <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1979338253775048952" rel="noopener">dunk took place with over eight minutes remaining</a> in the second quarter. Center Adem Bona made a block as Tyrese Maxey gained possession of the ball, where he fired the pass to a dashing Edgecombe for the easy dunk on the fast break.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Adem Bona’s block leads to the VJ Edgecombe SLAM 😤🍿</p><p><a href="https://t.co/8fY8KPh9sy">pic.twitter.com/8fY8KPh9sy</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1979338797893689831?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><h2><b>How VJ Edgecombe, 76ers played against Timberwolves</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/VJ-Edgecombe-slams-with-authority-in-first-game-with-Joel-Embiid-1.jpg"><figcaption>Bill Streicher-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>They were great dunking highlights from VJ Edgecombe as he and Joel Embiid helped the 76ers end the preseason on a solid note with a 126-110 win over the Timberwolves.</p><p>Philadelphia was highly productive on the offensive side of the ball, scoring 30 or more points throughout all four quarters. This proved to be too much for Minnesota, being unable to keep up with their opponent’s hot shooting.</p><p>Perimeter shooting, rebounding and steals made the difference in this matchup. The 76ers knocked down 13 3-pointers on a 35.1% clip while securing 47 rebounds and making 15 steals. It wasn’t the same for the Timberwolves, who made 10 triples on an accuracy of 28.6% while finishing with 39 rebounds and nine steals.</p><p>Four players scored in double-digits on Philadelphia’s behalf, including Edgecombe and Embiid. The former finished with 26 points, six rebounds, five steals, and three assists. He shot 10-of-18 from the field, including 2-of-6 from downtown, and 4-of-4 from the charity stripe. Embiid had 14 points and eight assists in his return from injury, while Tyrese Maxey led the team in scoring with 27 points and seven assists. Meanwhile, Quentin Grimes provided 22 points, five assists and three steals.</p><p>With their preseason over, the 76ers will prepare for their regular-season opener. They will be on the road when they face the Boston Celtics on Oct. 22 at 7:30 p.m. ET.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

76ers’ VJ Edgecombe slams with authority in first game with Joel Embiid

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-joel-embiid-cleared-for-preseason-debut-on-friday-vs-timberwolves');   ga('set', 'title', '76ers’ Joel Embiid cleared for preseason debut on Friday vs Timberwolves');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Joel-Embiid.jpg"><figcaption>Kyle Ross-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>76ers’ Joel Embiid cleared for preseason debut on Friday vs Timberwolves</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-17T09:04:28-07:00">October 17th, 9:04am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-17T09:04:28-07:00">October 17th, 9:04am</time><address><a>Zachary Weinberger</a>Zachary Weinberger joined ClutchPoints in October 2023 as a Miami Heat reporter as well as an Associate Editor. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2022 after covering the school's athletic programs since his freshman year at the FAU University Press, where he was a Sports Editor and Editor-in-Chief. He then covered FAU Sports for The Palm Beach Post.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>As it seemed that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-joel-embiid-season-opener-catch">Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid was ready for the season opener</a>, that feeling has been amplified due to the recent news regarding the team’s last preseason game. With fans locking in their <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-hottest-bold-prediction-2025-26-nba-season">bold predictions for the 76ers</a>, it’s reliant on knowing the status of Embiid, with Chris Haynes providing a huge preseason update.</p><p>According to Haynes, Embiid <a href="https://x.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/1979207257788416494" rel="noopener">“has been cleared”</a> to play in Philadelphia’s final preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night, making his debut.</p><p>“Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid (knee) has been cleared to make his preseason debut tonight against the Minnesota Timberwolves, league sources tell me,” Haynes wrote on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>On Thursday, Haynes had reported that Embiid had <a href="https://x.com/NBATV/status/1978984866927509622" rel="noopener">“turned the corner”</a> regarding his recovery, even with the surgery he had on his left knee in April.</p><p>“He’s been looking good in practice. People that I’ve spoken with have said he’s turning the corner, and he’s turned the corner so much,” Haynes said on NBA TV Thursday. “He went through a surgical procedure in April, left knee, and that is something that’s been problematic for the last couple of years for him, but he’s turned the corner, and sources related to me that he might make his preseason debut tomorrow as well against the Minnesota Timberwolves.”</p><h2><b>76ers to be “very cautious” with Joel Embiid</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Joel-Embiid-posts-up-his-defender.jpg"><figcaption>Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>While fans had been hoping for a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-brian-windhorst-drops-optimistic-joel-embiid-injury-timeline-update">76ers timeline for Embiid’s injury</a>, there is another question of the limitations the star center will have when he inevitably returns. Haynes would say that Embiid “will be on a tight schedule” and that Philadelphia plans to be “very cautious throughout the rest of the season.”</p><p>“And now I want to say this, because I want to caution people when you’re talking about Embiid, so it does look good for him making the season opener, but when he does return, I am told that he will be on a tight schedule,” Haynes said. “So just because when he returns, it doesn’t mean that he’s going to be an everyday, available player. They’re going to be very cautious throughout the rest of the season with him.”</p><p>At any rate, it remains to be seen how limited Embiid will play in Friday’s preseason game against the Timberwolves and eventually throughout the season. The 76ers start the regular season on Oct. 22 against the Boston Celtics.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

76ers’ Joel Embiid cleared for preseason debut on Friday vs Timberwolves

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-joel-embiid-season-opener-catch');   ga('set', 'title', 'Joel Embiid ready for season opener, but there’s a catch');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IMG_0220.jpeg"><figcaption>Bill Streicher-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Joel Embiid ready for season opener, but there’s a catch</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-16T18:48:17-07:00">October 16th, 6:48pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-16T18:48:17-07:00">October 16th, 6:48pm</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a>David Yapkowitz is an NBA Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is a credentialed reporter based in Los Angeles who covers the NBA/WNBA, NCAA/NCAAW and boys/girls high school basketball.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The news that Philadelphia 76ers fans have been waiting to hear regarding Joel Embiid and his potential return from injury was revealed on Thursday. Longtime NBA insider Chris Haynes remarked that Embiid is likely <a href="https://x.com/NBATV/status/1978984866927509622" rel="noopener">good to go</a> for the 76ers’ season opener next week against the Boston Celtics, but there is a catch to it.</p><p>During a recent episode of NBA TV’s, ‘The Association,’ Haynes reported that although Embiid will likely played against the Celtics, that he is going to be under a very tight restriction in terms of his availability.</p><p>“When he does return, I am told that he will be on a tight schedule,” Haynes said. “So just because he returns, it doesn’t mean he’s gonna be an every day available player. They’re going to be very cautious thought the rest of the season.”</p><p>In addition to being ready to play for opening night, Haynes also reported that Joel Embiid could make his return to the lineup from his injury as soon as Friday for the 76ers’ preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-joel-embiid-fans-hope-blue-white-scrimmage">Embiid recently participated in the 76ers’ annual inter-team scrimmage</a>, and there’s been <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-brian-windhorst-drops-optimistic-joel-embiid-injury-timeline-update">speculation that he was close to a return</a>.</p><p>It makes sense though that the organization would want to be as cautious and careful as possible when managing Embiid’s load this season. The knee issue that caused him to have surgery last spring has been a recurring issue.</p><p>This past season, Embiid was limited to only 19 games at a little over 30 minutes per game. He averaged 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists with splits of 44.4 percent shooting from the field, 29.9 percent shooting from the three-point line and 88.2 percent shooting from the free-throw line.</p><p>The 2022-23 NBA MVP, Embiid has had unfortunate luck with injuries during his career. After the 76ers selected him with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, he did not make his NBA debut until the 2016-17 season. He had a stretch from 2021-2023 of being relatively healthy, and that was when he won the MVP award as well as led the league in scoring.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Joel Embiid ready for season opener, but there’s a catch

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-why-paul-george-is-unlikely-to-be-ready-for-regular-season-opener');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Paul George is ‘unlikely’ to be ready for 76ers regular-season opener');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Philadelphia-76ers-forward-Paul-George.jpg"><figcaption>Bill Streicher-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Why Paul George is ‘unlikely’ to be ready for 76ers regular-season opener</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-16T11:50:01-07:00">October 16th, 11:50am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-16T11:50:01-07:00">October 16th, 11:50am</time><address><a>Julian Ojeda</a>Julian Ojeda is an Orlando-based sports journalist with 3 years of professional writing under his belt, specializing in both NBA and NFL coverage. A devoted Orlando Magic fan, he deftly balances fervent fandom with insightful reporting, possessing a keen eye for compelling narratives.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Paul George is <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/derekbodner.bsky.social/post/3m3daiwen3s2h" rel="noopener">unlikely to be ready</a> when the Philadelphia 76ers open their 2025‑26 season, head coach Nick Nurse said Thursday.</p><p>George has just begun participating in full-contact practices after <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-joel-embiid-paul-george-progress-injury">undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery in July</a>, and Nurse indicated the timeline is tight for the forward to be available in either the preseason finale or the regular-season opener.</p><p>Derek Bodner of PHLY reported on Bluesky, “Nick Nurse said that Paul George only played a little bit of 5-on-5 today, and indicated that George playing in the preseason finale, or even the regular season opener next week, was unlikely given he just started playing in live portions of practice yesterday.”</p><p>Bodner also noted earlier in the day that George was a full participant in Thursday’s practice, including 5-on-5 segments, though that progress has been cautious. He contrasted George’s return with Joel Embiid, who was a planned non-participant for that session.</p><h2><b>Nick Nurse signals Paul George’s return unlikely as Sixers weigh recovery timeline</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/76ers-veteran-Paul-George1.jpg"><figcaption>Bill Streicher-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>At 35, George is navigating the recovery process after suffering a knee injury during an offseason workout. He underwent surgery on July 14 to address damage to his left knee and has dealt with injuries throughout recent seasons. In March of last season, the 76ers ruled him out for the remainder of the campaign and administered injections to his left adductor and knee.</p><p>In the 2024‑25 season, persistent injuries limited George to just 41 games. He averaged 16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 43% from the field and 35.8% from three-point range.</p><p>Philadelphia closes out its preseason Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves at 7:00 p.m. ET. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-joel-embiid-fans-hope-blue-white-scrimmage">76ers will open the regular season on Wednesday, October 22, in Boston</a> — a match that now looms uncertain for George.</p><p>If George is unavailable, Philadelphia may need to rely more heavily on Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain and Kelly Oubre Jr. early in the season. Nick Nurse has also spoken previously about <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-nick-nurse-demands-paul-george-take-teaching-role-young-76ers">George’s potential role as mentor to younger players</a>, but that development influence may be delayed depending on his health.</p><p>No exact timeline has been confirmed for George’s return, but his limited 5-on-5 workload suggests he may miss multiple early games. His status is likely to be monitored closely by the organization as the Sixers attempt to balance competitive goals with caution in managing his recovery.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Paul George is ‘unlikely’ to be ready for 76ers regular-season opener

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-zach-lowe-bleak-view-76ers-season');   ga('set', 'title', 'Zach Lowe delivers bleak view on 76ers season ahead');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/76ers-forward-Kelly-Oubre-Jr.-vs-Magic-in-NBA-Preseason.jpg"><figcaption>Bill Streicher-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Zach Lowe delivers bleak view on 76ers season ahead</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-16T10:23:25-07:00">October 16th, 10:23am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-16T10:23:56-07:00">October 16th, 10:23am</time><address><a>Yasmin Edañol</a>Yasmin D.G. Edañol is a PhD candidate in Chemistry at the University of the Philippines Diliman, with a background in scientific research and publishing. He brings a data-driven perspective to sports storytelling as an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints, with a focus on the NBA. Whether it's breaking down a clutch play or a stat line, he believes every great moment has a deeper layer waiting to be uncovered.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Questions <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-hottest-bold-prediction-2025-26-nba-season">are already swirling around the Philadelphia 76ers’ upcoming season</a>. On The Bill Simmons Podcast, ESPN analyst Zach Lowe <a href="https://youtu.be/HicRWEfUl1w?t=2646" rel="noopener">added fuel to the uncertainty</a>. He painted <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-brian-windhorst-cant-keep-straight-face-relaying-optimism">a grim picture of the 76ers season and voiced deep skepticism about their ability to surpass expectations</a>. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/sources-joel-embiids-ongoing-knee-issues-create-genuine-concern-about-76ers-future">Despite having Joel Embiid and Daryl Morey leading the way</a>, Lowe said he would not bet on Philadelphia to exceed 42.5 wins. He cited major structural concerns within the team. His comments quickly made waves among fans already nervous about the direction of the franchise.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>Zach Lowe emphasized that he just can’t trust this team’s infrastructure anymore. He pointed out that l<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/5-milestones-joel-embiid-needs-to-prove-his-doubters-wrong">ast year was the first time the 76ers were actually bad with Joel Embiid on the floor</a>. That reality, he said, changes everything. “There is almost no number that’s realistic that you could’ve given me that I would take the over,” Lowe remarked. He added that while the team’s missed games could explain some struggles, their poor offensive flow, even with Embiid healthy, is alarming.</p><p>The shooting numbers only strengthened his argument. According to Lowe, the 76ers shot just 29.8% from three-point range during Embiid’s minutes last season. It was a shockingly low mark that raised questions about spacing, play design, and roster construction. He implied that Daryl Morey’s front office has not built a reliable support system around their superstar. That weakness leaves the 76ers prone to offensive stagnation whenever defenses tighten.</p><p>For Lowe, the problem isn’t just about health or effort, it’s about trust. “How can anyone bet the over on this team right now?” he asked. His statement wasn’t just about betting lines; it was a reflection of eroding confidence in Philadelphia’s identity and direction.</p><p>As the new campaign approaches, questions about depth, chemistry, and consistency hover over the 76ers once again. Embiid’s dominance can only carry them so far if the supporting cast doesn’t rise to the occasion. With doubt creeping in from voices like Lowe’s, one can’t help but wonder: will this season be another disappointment in the Embiid-Morey era?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Zach Lowe delivers bleak view on 76ers season ahead

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-jared-mccain-tears-latest-haymaker-young-career');   ga('set', 'title', '76ers’ Jared McCain admits tearing up after latest ‘haymaker’ in young career');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Jared-McCain-admits-tearing-up-after-latest-haymaker-in-young-career.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Taormina-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>76ers’ Jared McCain admits tearing up after latest ‘haymaker’ in young career</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-15T23:06:28-07:00">October 15th, 11:06pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-15T23:06:28-07:00">October 15th, 11:06pm</time><address><a>Paolo Mariano</a>Paolo Mariano is a freelance writer, editor, and producer based in Manila, Philippines. He is a journalism graduate from the University of Santo Tomas and the father of a young girl whose personality swings from Simone Biles to Dillon Brooks. A beacon of objectivity, he believes Penny Hardaway is the true NBA GOAT.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain was in the middle of a stellar stretch last season when he suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee. It prematurely ended his rookie stint, limiting him to just 23 games.</p><p>He was eager to bounce back in his sophomore campaign. Or even simply regain that feeling of relief by being back on the hardwood. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-jared-mccain-miss-start-of-season-thumb-surgery">Fate, however, played another cruel joke on McCain</a>, as he injured his right thumb while working out before training camp. There’s still no timetable for his return after undergoing surgery.</p><p>Opening about his latest setback, the 21-year-old McCain said he’s <a href="https://www.nbcsportsphiladelphia.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/jared-mccain-thumb-injury-update-sixers-preseason/690097/" rel="noopener">trying to remain optimistic</a>.</p><p>“The universe is throwing haymakers at me. But it’s all part of the process. I’ve just got to trust that it happened for a reason,” said the 76ers spitfire in a report from NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Noah Levick.</p><p>Levick noted that McCain, who has a pink brace on his right thumb, will be reevaluated in two weeks.</p><p>“I’ll get this off and have a playing brace. I’ll just start passing, dribbling, and doing all the steps with that. Then we’ll see from there when they let me play.”</p><p>The former Duke star also admitted that he became deeply emotional after he sustained the injury, describing it as a “freak, stupid little thing.” <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-joel-embiid-fans-hope-blue-white-scrimmage">The 76ers are also dealing with the health of Joel Embiid</a>, Paul George, and Kyle Lowry.</p><p>“I went to the training room, and I was crying. I immediately started crying. It’s just so frustrating when that happens. I knew something was wrong immediately. But after a few days, I kind of calmed down. I got in a depressive state, but I was good and I’m back to my normal self now,” shared McCain.</p><p>He quickly endeared himself to the 76ers because of his fun-loving personality. But he definitely can catch fire on the court. Last season, he averaged 15.3 points on 46.0% shooting, including dropping 34 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

76ers’ Jared McCain admits tearing up after latest ‘haymaker’ in young career

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-hottest-bold-prediction-2025-26-nba-season');   ga('set', 'title', 'The hottest 76ers bold prediction for 2025-26 NBA season');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/The-hottest-76ers-bold-prediction-for-2025-26-NBA-season.jpg"></figure><h1>The hottest 76ers bold prediction for 2025-26 NBA season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-15T21:21:53-07:00">October 15th, 9:21pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-15T21:21:53-07:00">October 15th, 9:21pm</time><address><a>Matty Breisch</a>Matty Breisch is a Senior Editor who specializes in NFL and WWE content at ClutchPoints. He can be read at Heavy, FanSided, The Needle Drop, Philadelphia Sports Network, and right here at ClutchPoints. Are you ready to read about football and wrestling? Well, you've come to the right place.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>To call the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-joel-embiids-stern-message-philadelphia-amid-offseason-changes">Philadelphia 76ers’ 2024-25 season an abject failure</a> might just be an understatement.</p><p>Heading into the opening night as the big winners of free agency, able to retain key players like Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andre Drummond while adding the biggest fish on the market, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-philly-makes-paul-george-splash-free-agency">Paul George, to a four-year max contract</a>, the 76ers took injury after injury after injury over the 82-game season, limping to the finish line with a 24-58 record and massive questions about the future.</p><p>The offense, expected to be led by dominant ISO scorers with 3-and-D wings around them, became increasingly one-dimensional as Joel Embiid and George landed on the season-ending injury report, with Tyrese Maxey increasingly unable to keep the team in playoff contention on his own. While the emergence of Quentin Grimes certainly helped to make things easier and kept 76ers fans watching games even if the results rarely shook out in their favor, in the end, the season was largely a wash in the worst possible way.</p><p>Fast forward to the start of free agency, and the 76ers haven’t done much to really tip the needle in their favor. They selected VJ Edgecombe third overall, a decision that was popular at the time, even if some fans have fallen back in love with Ace Bailey after <a href="https://x.com/1cameronj/status/1976092460532052261" rel="noopener">some strong preseason efforts</a>. The 76ers added a few more interesting young players like Johni Broome in the second round, Trendon Watford and Jabari Walker in NBA free agency, and preseason surprise Dominick Barlow on a two-way deal, but even with a few young, fresh faces on the roster, can they really expect to become the kind of team that recaptures their former glory?</p><p>As things presently stand, the 76ers aren’t exactly considered favorites to make the playoffs, even in the Eastern Conference. At best, some consider the team a wildcard, the kind of club that could make waves if everything hits correctly and busts brackets and the dreams of opposing franchises alike.</p><p>And at worst? Well, the 76ers will be back in the lottery, where they will at least own their own pick unless they pull off a surprising trade between now and next summer to go in another direction.</p><p>To fans who lived through the process, watching the 76ers in 2025 might not be the most exciting pursuit, as it very well could make the end of a decade-long pursuit of championship gold once and for all, but what if it isn’t? What if the 76ers click the way they were “supposed to” last fall and hit the ground running in an Eastern Conference where both the Boston Celtics and the Indiana Pacers are expected to have a down year following playoff injuries to their top players? Could they get back to the playoffs, making it to the Eastern Conference, or even break through that ceiling to finally give Embiid a chance to represent the East in the NBA Finals? Respectfully, it might not be as hot a take as one might think.</p><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2_27198f.jpg"><figcaption>Bill Streicher-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h2><b>The 76ers finally make the Eastern Conference Finals with Joel Embiid</b></h2><p>When the 2026 NBA playoffs roll around, there’s a very real possibility that the Pacers and Celtics, the last two teams to represent the division in the NBA Finals, will not be represented when the field shrinks to eight, with the two teams potentially fighting for spots in the Play-In Tournament down Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum.</p><p>The Cleveland Cavaliers are still looking good after coming just short of the NBA Finals last season. The New York Knicks are also widely considered the favorite to lead the division after loading up on quality players last year, even if they just changed head coaches, and both the Orlando Magic and the Milwaukee Bucks have to be in the conversation, too, after bringing Desmond Bane and Myles Turner to town, but who is really sitting behind that four? There are the Atlanta Hawks, the Detroit Pistons, and a whole lot of question marks at the bottom of the conference.</p><p>The 76ers, by contrast, are bringing back the same team that looked to be really good on paper last season before the start of the regular season, plus Jared McCain, who blew up for about a month before suffering a season-ending injury, Grimes, who blew up over the final month of the season, and VJ Edgecombe, who fills an archetype the 76ers have been looking for since they selected Zhaire Smith back in 2018.</p><p>With a deep frontcourt and an ability to shuffle around guards like Maxey, McCain, Grimes, and Edgecombe across multiple spots this fall, the 76ers should be able to match up against opposing teams at ease and should hopefully play a less selfish brand of basketball this fall, a goal Nick Nurse highlighted during the preseason.</p><p>Now granted, will losing Gersaun Yabusele hurt the 76ers’ playoff pursuits? Potentially so, but he spent most of last season playing small-ball center and barely got to show if he could hang with Embiid as a full-time power forward. While Barlow has been a fun story during the preseason, his addition, plus Broome, Watford, and Walker, should give the 76ers plenty of options at the power forward position moving forward, especially as Nurse attempts to try some two-towers looks with Embiid at the four to allow Adem Bona to do the dirty work in the paint.</p><p>Throw that all together, and the 76ers might just be a top-3 team in the East when everything is said and done, with a chance to make some serious waves in the postseason when everything is said and done.</p><p>Ultimately, the 76ers aren’t as bad a team as they looked like in 2024-25. They got unlucky with injuries in a way that basically no other team could weather, as the Pacers and Celtics will soon learn, and as a result, are being overlooked despite their typical pedigree. If the 76ers can stay healthy, they will undoubtedly be a better team this season than what they were expected to be last year, with the contracts and assets needed to make a midseason move to get even better before the playoffs. Considering the field in 2026, this might just be the year Embiid cracks through his glass ceiling and makes it to the Eastern Conference Finals, with a chance at the NBA Finals a possibility depending on the draw.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

The hottest 76ers bold prediction for 2025-26 NBA season

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-brian-windhorst-drops-optimistic-joel-embiid-injury-timeline-update');   ga('set', 'title', 'Brian Windhorst drops optimistic Joel Embiid injury timeline update for 76ers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/76ers-star-Joel-Embiid.jpg"><figcaption>Bill Streicher-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Brian Windhorst drops optimistic Joel Embiid injury timeline update for 76ers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-14T18:15:18-07:00">October 14th, 6:15pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-14T18:15:18-07:00">October 14th, 6:15pm</time><address><a>Matty Breisch</a>Matty Breisch is a Senior Editor who specializes in NFL and WWE content at ClutchPoints. He can be read at Heavy, FanSided, The Needle Drop, Philadelphia Sports Network, and right here at ClutchPoints. Are you ready to read about football and wrestling? Well, you've come to the right place.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>With the 2025-26 NBA season rapidly approaching, fans of the Philadelphia 76ers have one major question hanging over opening day: <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-joel-embiid-fans-hope-blue-white-scrimmage">when will Joel Embiid make his regular season debut</a>?</p><p>Still one of the very best players in the NBA when fully healthy, Embiid’s biggest issue has always been availability over ability, with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-rumors-joel-embiid-bypassed-daryl-morey-discuss-knee-76ers-ownership">“The Process” missing most of last season</a> on the way to a campaign that gave lowercase “p” process Sixers fans war flashbacks.</p><p>Well, in an appearance on ESPN’s <i>NBA Today</i>, Brian Windhorst broke down what he’s seen and heard about Embiid so far, and why fans <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1978249352175882250" rel="noopener">should be excited by recent developments</a>.</p><p>“Now, we knew that Joel was working out, we knew he was practicing, but with Joel, you really can’t assume anything. And then, earlier this, I guess it was over the weekend, he just showed up at their scrimmage. Yeah, the blue, the blue-white scrimmage, and every team has a scrimmage that they open to the fans, and this is what they did, and here Joel was,” Windhorst noted.</p><p>“Now, this has been going on behind the scenes, but, you know, the Sixers have been very cautious not to get out ahead of everything, as you can imagine why. And Joel looked good in this scrimmage, but I think it’s more important that he was playing more than I’m going to sit here and analyze how he looked.”</p><p>So what does this mean for the future? Well, Windhorst commented on that too, using his deductive reasoning skills to project when 76ers fans could see “The Process” on the court for a regular season game again.</p><p>“So Friday is their last preseason game, it’s at home. I assume he’s going to try to go in that, and if there’s no setbacks, I assume he might be out there for opening night,” Windhorst noted. “Now, the idea that he could come back before Paul George was not something I expected. But, and I think you’ve got to be careful not to make any assumptions with Joel, but I think the Sixers could have Joel Embiid, could have him at the beginning of the season next week.”</p><p>When will 76ers fans see their fearless leader again? Only time will tell, but if Windhorst is right, opening night should be bumping at the Xfinity Mobile Arena.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"With Joel [Embiid], you can't really assume anything. …  The idea that he could come back before Paul George was not something I expected… but I think the Sixers could have him at the beginning of the season next week."</p><p>—Brian Windhorst<a href="https://t.co/jjVUZEcGt1">pic.twitter.com/jjVUZEcGt1</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1978249352175882250?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 14, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Brian Windhorst drops optimistic Joel Embiid injury timeline update for 76ers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/philadelphia-76ers/5-milestones-joel-embiid-needs-to-prove-his-doubters-wrong');   ga('set', 'title', '5 milestones Joel Embiid needs to prove his doubters wrong');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Joel-Embiid-on-the-bench.jpg"><figcaption>Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><h1>5 milestones Joel Embiid needs to prove his doubters wrong</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-14T13:58:44-07:00">October 14th, 1:58pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-14T13:58:44-07:00">October 14th, 1:58pm</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/spencersee10" rel="facebook">Spencer See</a>Spencer See is a part-time writer at ClutchPoints focusing on the NBA, evergreen content and celebrity lifestyle. He is also a lifelong fan of LeBron James. In his free time, he either goes fishing or watches basketball.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Joel Embiid is one of the best centers in the league today. Some fans would even go as far as putting him in the same conversation as Nikola Jokic, especially after winning the 2023 NBA MVP Award. However, since then, nagging injuries have negatively impacted his career. But at only 31 years old, Embiid still has a chance to turn it all around. Here is a look at five milestones Joel Embiid needs to prove his doubters wrong.</p><p>Check out the gallery.</p><h2><b>Joel Embiid needs to play a full 82-game season</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Joel-Embiid-in-street-clothes.jpg"><figcaption>Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Embiid has struggled to stay healthy throughout his career. In fact, injuries have held him back. The 2023 NBA MVP has never played more than 68 games in a regular season. He combined only for 58 appearances in the last two seasons. With the league’s 65-game requirement to qualify for individual season awards, Embiid has missed out on several milestones. With his availability in question, playing a full season should put his doubters to rest.</p><p>If Embiid can stay healthy for 82 games, he should be able to regain his stock value while earning the confidence of the Sixers to keep his place as the face of the franchise. For the past few years, Philadelphia has failed to go deep into the playoffs and missed out last year despite the addition of All-Star Paul George.</p><p>Without Embiid, the Sixers are vulnerable around the rim on both ends of the floor, while his absence also puts tremendous pressure on the shoulders of former NBA Most Improved Player Tyrese Maxey.</p><h2><b>Joel Embiid needs to make another All-NBA Team</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Joel-Embiid-posts-up-his-defender.jpg"><figcaption>Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>When healthy, there’s no question that Embiid is a top-three center in the league. Throughout his career, the former NBA MVP has even made five All-NBA Team selections. However, he has been unable to prove that as of late. Embiid has missed out on the All-NBA Team selections in the past two years. Making an All-NBA Team selection should remind everyone of his caliber.</p><p>The league implemented the 65-game rule requirement for major awards since the 2023-24 season. During that year, Embiid only played in 39 games. And the Sixers big man only appeared in 19 last year. As a result, he was disqualified from making the All-NBA team selections. Nonetheless, he still averaged 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks per game last year when he was healthy. If Embiid can produce those numbers while staying longer on the court, he is an easy All-NBA Team pick.</p><h2><b>Joel Embiid should win Defensive Player of the Year Award</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Joel-Embiid-blocks-a-shot.jpg"><figcaption>Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>While Embiid is a force to be reckoned with in the paint, that’s applicable on both ends of the floor. Standing at 7-feet tall, the Sixers center punishes his opponents with his post moves and decent shot-blocking. Throughout his career, he has averaged 1.6 swats per outing. It’s worth noting that Embiid has also made three NBA All-Defensive Teams. But if there’s an award that eludes him, it’s the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award.</p><p>Embiid is an easy Defensive Player of the Year candidate. And should he become the defensive anchor that they need him to be, it’d be a great way for the Sixers center to silence his critics. After all, Philadelphia <a href="https://sixerswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/sixers/2025/02/11/nick-nurse-addresses-defensive-rebounding-woes-as-sixers-move-forward/78414227007/" rel="noopener">struggled mightily on defense</a> and the rebounding department last year. Having Embiid unlock his defensive tools while staying healthy enough should give him a chance to not only win the Defensive Player of the Year Award but also a golden opportunity to take the Sixers to new heights.</p><h2><b>Joel Embiid should win a second NBA MVP</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Joel-Embiid-poses-with-the-MVP-trophy.jpg"><figcaption>Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>It wasn’t long ago when Embiid won the NBA MVP Award. In the 2022-23 season, he averaged a league-leading 33.1 points to go along with 10.2 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game. He also appeared in a respectable 66 games. The Sixers center successfully, outlasted Nuggets star Nikola Jokic for the award. But since then, Jokic collected another MVP Award, increasing his tally to three.</p><p>Having another MVP season should easily propel Embiid back to relevancy. For several years, the franchise has built around the 7-foot big man. As the face of the franchise, the responsibility to carry the load falls on his shoulders. Philadelphia can only go as far as Embiid takes them. If Embiid can produce another MVP-worthy performance in a regular season, the Sixers will certainly have a clear shot at a championship, especially with a more beefed-up and healthy supporting cast.</p><h2><b>Lead the 76ers to a title</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Joel-Embiid-dunks-the-ball.jpg"><figcaption>Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>While injuries have been the biggest knock in Embiid’s career, the same can be said about his lack of playoff success. In nine seasons, Embiid has led the Sixers to seven playoff appearances. Surprisingly, the farthest he has gone was in the second round, the deepest of which came in 2019 when they pushed the Toronto Raptors to seven games. Winning a championship in Philadelphia will automatically cement his legacy as one of the best centers in the league today.</p><p>Ever since the Process Era, the Sixers have hung their hopes on Embiid to lead them to a title. But as the years go by, Philadelphia’s drought as continued on, even with the 2023 NBA MVP at the helm. If he can finally end the curse, a championship would easily make up for all the years of patience and heartbreak that Sixers fans were forced to endure.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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76ers News: Get the latest Philadelphia 76ers news, scores, stats, standings, fantasy games, and more from ClutchPoints.

Latest 76ers News

Joel Embiid, Paul George’s ‘heavy’ day brings 76ers new hope

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76ers’ VJ Edgecombe slams with authority in first game with Joel Embiid

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