<!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-demarcus-cousins-thinks-its-time-for-sixers-to-trade-joel-embiid');   ga('set', 'title', 'DeMarcus Cousins thinks it’s time for the 76ers to trade 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/2025/09/Joel-Embiid-dunks-the-ball.jpg"><figcaption>Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><h1>DeMarcus Cousins thinks it’s time for the 76ers to trade Joel Embiid</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-28T15:13:26-07:00">October 28th, 3:13pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-28T15:13:26-07:00">October 28th, 3:13pm</time><address><a>Jake Faigus</a>Jake Faigus graduated from the University of Arizona in 2022 and has written for several publications and websites. He has had stops at Catena Media, Playmaker, DraftKings, USA Today, Spike Up, and Spotlight Sports Group. He also writes for Sporting News and works at iHeartMedia in Phoenix when he is not writing for ClutchPoints.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The 2025 Philadelphia 76ers have started the season playing well, at 3-0. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76er-news-tyrese-maxey-vj-edgecombe-combine-scintillating-nba-history" rel="noopener">The keys have been Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe in the backcourt</a> and not Joel Embiid as much. The 76ers are also still missing Paul George due to injury. Embiid has been a stalwart down low for the 76ers, but there could be talk about whether it might be time to move on from Joel Embiid.</p><p>That is not an out-of-the-box idea because, as good as Embiid has been, there is only so much he can do in Philadelphia if they cannot win and keep losing in the postseason before the NBA Finals and the Conference Finals. Former NBA player and current analyst DeMarcus Cousins said that he thinks it’s fair to ask if the 76ers are better without Embiid. <a href="https://x.com/RunItBackFDTV/status/1983229932151935070" rel="noopener">He believes the front office is definitely talking about that possibility</a>.</p><p>Cousins said, “I’m pretty sure the front office is having talks about it, what it looks like, what the possibility is, and if they should consider closing this door moving forward.”</p><p>It is still very early in the NBA season, but the idea that the 76ers might be better off without a former NBA MVP seems wild on the surface. It might actually be true.</p><p>One of Joel Embiid’s most significant issues is his health. Due to injuries, he has missed over 400 games during his NBA career. Embiid is also not getting any younger, and he’s already had injury issues, so with age, those injuries might only worsen.</p><p>The other big reason the 76ers could be better without Embiid is the changing play styles in the NBA. Embiid is the focal point on offense whenever he is in the game, and while he has shown to be dominant at times, he’s slow and can hog the ball down low with less offensive movement. That is all on top of the fact that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-joel-embiid-fed-up-minutes-restriction" rel="noopener">he has a minutes restriction</a> right now.</p><p>Without Embiid, the focus is on Maxey and Edgecomb, and the ball moves around much more easily and quickly. Despite Embiid’s incredible talent, the offense becomes more dynamic and suitable for today’s NBA.</p><p>Through two games, Embiid is averaging 12 points, four rebounds, three assists, one steal, and 0.5 blocks per game with a 40% field goal percentage. The idea of trading Embiid is not imminent, but it could continue to grow as an idea, depending on how the 76ers’ season works out.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

DeMarcus Cousins thinks it’s time for the 76ers to trade 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-fed-up-minutes-restriction');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why 76ers’ Joel Embiid is already fed up with his minutes restriction');   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/2025/07/76ers-All-Star-Joel-Embiid-1.jpg"><figcaption>Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><h1>Why 76ers’ Joel Embiid is already fed up with his minutes restriction</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-27T07:30:56-07:00">October 27th, 7:30am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-27T07:30:56-07:00">October 27th, 7:30am</time><address><a>Rishabh Bhatnagar</a>Rishabh is a seasoned NBA and sports journalist and editor with over seven years of experience working for reputed organizations. A novelist first and foremost, he has written three fiction books. His high threshold of knowledge combined with his writing skills gives him the ability to write uniquely insightful pieces across basketball, soccer, cricket, lawn tennis, eSports, and a variety of other sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-bill-simmons-hits-joel-embiid-done-label-young-sixers-flourish">Philadelphia 76ers have started the season 2-0 after beating the likes</a> of the Charlotte Hornets and the Boston Celtics in their first two matches. Once again, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-joel-embiid-delivers-hilarious-mic-drop-past-bench-struggles">the spotlight was on Joel Embiid</a>, who has been on a minutes restriction thus far after undergoing knee surgery in the offseason.</p><p>“I’d rather not minute restrictions, but I’d rather get it out of the way… Longer stints, you’ll actually be able to let the game come to you. But then again, longer stints also means you might be done by halftime. But I can’t sit for too long,” he said about <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25265576-76ers-joel-embiid-talks-frustration-shorter-stints-amid-minutes-restriction" rel="noopener">the 20 minutes he has logged in</a> the two outings thus far, per Bleacher Report.</p><p>And while he completely trusts the coaching staff around him to decide his minutes, Embiid also acknowledges the need for him to play consistent basketball.</p><p>“Being in shape is one thing, but being in basketball shape is another thing. You need to play, and you need to play a lot. I guess I trust them, and until I’m over it, I’m going to keep trying,” he revealed.</p><p>Joel Embiid returned from offseason knee surgery after an approximately eight-month layoff dating to late February last season. He played just 19 games last season and no season in his career with more than 68 games.</p><p>Embiid struggled in the opener against the Celtics, finishing with four points and six rebounds on 1-for-9 shooting. He reached his 20-minute limit with 9:18 remaining in the fourth quarter and watched from the bench as Philadelphia rallied to a 117–116 win.</p><p>“I have no idea. I make my case every day. If they listen to me, good. If they don’t, I guess that’s on them,” Embiid said when asked if he knew when the minutes might increase.</p><p>In the home opener against the Hornets, he produced 20 points on 7-for-11 from the field, including 3-for-6 from three, and hit his 20-minute cap with more than seven minutes left in the third quarter. For the second straight game, he was a spectator for a fourth-quarter comeback.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why 76ers’ Joel Embiid is already fed up with his minutes restriction

<!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-delivers-hilarious-mic-drop-past-bench-struggles');   ga('set', 'title', 'Joel Embiid delivers hilarious mic drop on 76ers’ past bench struggles');   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-Embiid-delivers-hilarious-mic-drop-on-Phillys-past-bench-struggles.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Joel Embiid delivers hilarious mic drop on 76ers’ past bench struggles</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-26T07:30:07-07:00">October 26th, 7:30am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-26T07:30:07-07:00">October 26th, 7:30am</time><address><a>Rohan Brahmbhatt</a>Rohan Brahmbhatt is an adventure-driven sports writer, passionate footballer, mountaineer, and photojournalist. Rohan blends firsthand experience with storytelling—capturing the intensity of sport and the thrill of exploration. Whether on the field, a mountain trail, or behind the lens, he brings authentic, high-energy narratives that connect readers to the heart of the action.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Philadelphia 76ers are off to a flying start this season, winning their first two games against the Boston Celtics and Charlotte Hornets, respectively. But it wasn’t just the victories that caught fans’ attention; it was also Joel Embiid’s hilarious response to a reporter’s question about the team’s improved play without him on the court.</p><p>During the postgame press conference following Philly’s 125-121 win over Charlotte, a reporter pointed out that the Sixers have looked surprisingly <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-bill-simmons-hits-joel-embiid-done-label-young-sixers-flourish">comfortable even when Embiid isn’t playing</a>, something that had been a glaring issue in previous years. The reigning MVP wasted no time dropping a line that perfectly blended honesty and humor.</p><p>“It’s been 12 years. I’ll take it.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Reporter: “The team is playing better when you're not playing which was a big problem last year obviously.”</p><p>Joel Embiid: “It's been 12 years. I'll take it.”</p><p>(h/t <a href="https://twitter.com/MrBuckBuckNBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MrBuckBuckNBA</a>)<a href="https://t.co/VGlWlyd434">pic.twitter.com/VGlWlyd434</a></p><p>— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/LegionHoops/status/1982286291413934151?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>It was the ultimate mic drop moment from the 76ers’ franchise cornerstone, who seemed genuinely amused and relieved by the progress. Embiid went on to add, “If the team can perform like this in the important games or in the playoffs, and if this is the effort when I am not on the floor, then I am happy not to play.”</p><p>His comments, though lighthearted, highlight something deeper: for years, the Sixers’ bench units have struggled mightily when Embiid sits. The non-Embiid minutes have long been a pain point in Philadelphia’s playoff runs, often resulting in momentum-swinging collapses.</p><p>So far this season, however, the story looks different. In the Sixers’ opening-night win against the Celtics, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-fans-feel-joel-embiid-ugly-4-point-night-celtics">Embiid struggled and scored only four points</a> in 20 minutes. But against the Hornets, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-joel-embiid-silences-critics-comeback-1st-half-vs-hornets">he quickly bounced back</a> and scored 20 points, albeit in just 20 minutes as Andre Drummond got important closing minutes as the 76ers came back. Meanwhile, Philadelphia’s supporting cast stepped up impressively, moving the ball fluidly and controlling the game on both ends.</p><p>New head coach Nick Nurse appears to have unlocked more balance in the rotation, with players like Tyrese Maxey and Kelly Oubre Jr. shining early.</p><p>The 76ers now turn their focus to their next test against the Orlando Magic on Oct. 28. If Philadelphia’s depth continues to shine, Embiid may just keep smiling while dropping more iconic one-liners.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Joel Embiid delivers hilarious mic drop on 76ers’ past bench struggles

<!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-silences-critics-comeback-1st-half-vs-hornets');   ga('set', 'title', '76ers’ Joel Embiid silences critics with comeback 1st half vs. Hornets');   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-Embiid.jpg"><figcaption>Bill Streicher-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>76ers’ Joel Embiid silences critics with comeback 1st half vs. Hornets</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-25T18:25:59-07:00">October 25th, 6:25pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-25T18:27:14-07:00">October 25th, 6:27pm</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>There’s no two ways about it: <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-fans-feel-joel-embiid-ugly-4-point-night-celtics">Joel Embiid had a rough outing in the Philadelphia 76ers’ opening night win</a> over the Boston Celtics.</p><p>Taking the court under a minutes restriction as he continues to work back from knee surgery, Embiid turned in one of his quietest games of his career, scoring just four points on 1-of-9 shooting from the field, while barely even attempting to bully up on the Celtics’ defenders in the painted area. His -16 +/- ranked last on the team, one of only three players with a negative rating in the game, and critics like <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-bill-simmons-hits-joel-embiid-done-label-young-sixers-flourish">Bill Simmons openly wondered if Embiid was cooked based on the contest</a>.</p><p>After two days of fans openly questioning if the 76ers were suddenly Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe’s team, Embiid took the court in his usual starting spot in Game 2 against the Charlotte Hornets and promptly reminded folks who he is, <a href="https://x.com/PHLSixersNation/status/1982247402837885380" rel="noopener">scoring 16 points in 15 minutes</a> while amassing four assists, two rebounds, and a steal while draining three of his five attempts from 3.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Halftime | Sixers 61 – Hornets 58</p><p>Grimes: 17 pts | 3 ast | 3 reb<br>Embiid: 16 pts | 4 ast | 2 reb | 1 stl<br>Maxey: 14pts | 6 ast | 2 reb | 1 blk</p><p>The Sixers are shooting 54.2% from three on 13/24 shooting.<a href="https://t.co/YvYp4E3K7E">pic.twitter.com/YvYp4E3K7E</a></p><p>— Sixers Nation (@PHLSixersNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/PHLSixersNation/status/1982247402837885380?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Huh, over a point a minute? Goodness, that sounds like vintage Embiid.</p><p>Now granted, Embiid still doesn’t look completely healthy, moving around with a touch more labor than when he’s at 100 percent, but “The Process” did a little bit of everything in the first half, and as the game transitioned into the third, he continued to do just that, scoring 20 in 20 while helping Quentin Grimes get his own mojo back after a down effort in the opener.</p><p>Is Embiid back to being a point-per-game scorer? Will the offense return to his tried-and-true brand of methodical backpeddling to the basket with shooters around him? Or will Nick Nurse remain committed to pace and space with his young guards, using Embiid as a distributor just as often as an ISO scorer? Fans will find out soon enough, but for now, all the fear of Embiid being BBQ chicken might just be over.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

76ers’ Joel Embiid silences critics with comeback 1st half vs. Hornets

<!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-bill-simmons-hits-joel-embiid-done-label-young-sixers-flourish');   ga('set', 'title', 'Bill Simmons hits Joel Embiid with ‘done’ label as young 76ers flourish');   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-center-Joel-Embiid-21-wipes-sweat-from-his-face-during-the-second-quarter-against-the-Boston-Celtics.jpg"><figcaption>© Winslow Townson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Bill Simmons hits Joel Embiid with ‘done’ label as young 76ers flourish</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-24T10:40:18-07:00">October 24th, 10:40am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-24T14:37:14-07:00">October 24th, 2:37pm</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>Following the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-vj-edgecombe-breaks-allen-iverson-franchise-record-rookie-debut">Philadelphia 76ers’ 117-116 win over the Boston Celtics</a> in their season opener Wednesday night, longtime NBA analyst Bill Simmons questioned the current state of Joel Embiid’s game, calling the former MVP “<a href="https://youtu.be/weB4lKlCD_w?t=3506" rel="noopener">done</a>” amid the rise of a younger Sixers core.</p><p>On the latest episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, The Ringer founder offered a sharp assessment of Embiid’s performance, particularly in contrast to the team’s dynamic backcourt of Tyrese Maxey and rookie VJ Edgecombe.</p><p>“It’s really interesting because Embiid just looks like he’s done. And who knows if he can come back, but he can’t really jump anymore,” Simmons said. “And every time they really did well was when he wasn’t out there, including the fourth quarter. They just didn’t bring him back because he was on a minutes limit.”</p><p>Simmons praised the team’s explosiveness without Embiid on the floor, emphasizing the impact of Edgecombe’s debut and Maxey’s continued growth.</p><p>“The Maxey and VJ together was just the most electric, the VJ thing is unbelievable,” Simmons said. “The big thing on him coming out of the draft was this guy’s an incredible athlete, he can’t finish. He has terrible finishing stats. Let me tell you, he finishes the f**k out of the Celtics game. The VJ and Maxey thing. Attack, attack, attack, and Embiid just doesn’t fit in with it, and I don’t know what they do.”</p><h2><b>Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe shine as Joel Embiid falters in 76ers opener</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/VJ-Edgecombe-77-celebrates-with-guard-Tyrese-Maxey-0-and-forward-Dominick-Barlow-25.jpg"><figcaption>© Winslow Townson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Embiid’s performance was uncharacteristic. The 31-year-old center finished with four points, six rebounds, two assists, and one block while shooting 1-for-9 from the field in 20 minutes. He posted a team-worst minus-16 plus/minus and did not play in the fourth quarter due to a minutes restriction.</p><p>In contrast, Maxey opened the season in dominant fashion, scoring 40 points on 13-for-24 shooting, including 7-for-9 from 3-point range. He added six assists, two rebounds, two steals, and a block in 41 minutes. Edgecombe, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, recorded 34 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and a steal while shooting 13-for-26 from the field in 42 minutes.</p><p>Edgecombe’s performance marked the highest-scoring rookie debut in the 21st century and the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-vj-edgecombe-nba-debut-turns-heads-history-books">most points by a rookie in an NBA debut since Wilt Chamberlain’s 43 points</a> in 1959.</p><p>The 76ers will return to action on Saturday for their home opener at the Wells Fargo Center, where they will face the Charlotte Hornets (1-0). Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.</p><p>As Philadelphia’s young core flashes its potential, questions surrounding Embiid’s role and long-term viability alongside Maxey and Edgecombe are beginning to surface, with Simmons’ comments adding to the national conversation.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Bill Simmons hits Joel Embiid with ‘done’ label as young 76ers flourish

<!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-jeff-teague-insists-joel-embiid-better-nikola-jokic-1-condition');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jeff Teague insists 76ers C Joel Embiid is better than Nikola Jokic on 1 condition');   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/2025/06/Joel-Embiid-shoots-the-ball-as-Nikola-Jokic-defends.jpg"><figcaption>Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><h1>Jeff Teague insists 76ers C Joel Embiid is better than Nikola Jokic on 1 condition</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-22T19:37:58-07:00">October 22nd, 7:37pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-22T19:37:58-07:00">October 22nd, 7:37pm</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>After missing much of the 2024-25 NBA season with yet another knee injury, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-joel-embiid-paul-george-heavy-day-hope">Joel Embiid is officially back and made his regular season return in the Philadelphia 76ers</a> nail-biter of a win over the Boston Celtics.</p><p>While the 76ers didn’t get much out of Embiid in the game, with VJ Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey instead dominating the Celtics’ backcourt as <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-fans-feel-joel-embiid-ugly-4-point-night-celtics">“The Process” onlys scored four points and six rebounds in 20 minutes of action</a>, in the opinion of Jeff Teague, Philadelphia still has <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1981106129028452440" rel="noopener">one of the most dominant players</a> in the NBA today.</p><p>Discussing the top centers in the NBA on <i>Club 520</i>, Teague boldly declared that if Embiid isn’t hurt – which isn’t all that often – the 76ers have the best center in basketball, even better than Nikola Jokic.</p><p>“Joel Embiid is really better than [Nikola Jokic] if he don’t ever get hurt,” Teague declared. “If Embiid’s not hurt, he’s the best player in the NBA. Nobody can stop him.”</p><p>From a purely statistical perspective, Embiid is one of the most effective scorers in NBA history, leading the league in points per game from 20021-23 before averaging more than a point a minute in 2023-24 before being shut down for the season. While few would make the argument that Embiid is better than Jokic now, as injuries has robbed him of consistently being the player he’s shown he can be, if “The Process” gets it right, he can still be the best player on any basketball court in the world, confirming Teague’s thesis even if it’s unlikely to happen on a night-to-night basis.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"Joel Embiid is really better than [Nikola Jokic] if he don’t ever get hurt. If Embiid not hurt, he’s the best player in the NBA. Nobody can stop him."</p><p>— Jeff Teague 🤔</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/club520podcast?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@club520podcast</a>)<a href="https://t.co/wecGW8gFI3">pic.twitter.com/wecGW8gFI3</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1981106129028452440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 22, 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>

Jeff Teague insists 76ers C Joel Embiid is better than Nikola Jokic on 1 condition

<!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-fans-feel-joel-embiid-ugly-4-point-night-celtics');   ga('set', 'title', '76ers’ fans feel for Joel Embiid after ugly 4-point night vs. Celtics');   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-center-Joel-Embiid-21-wipes-sweat-from-his-face.jpg"><figcaption>Winslow Townson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>76ers’ fans feel for Joel Embiid after ugly 4-point night vs. Celtics</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-22T19:26:41-07:00">October 22nd, 7:26pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-22T19:26:41-07:00">October 22nd, 7:26pm</time><address><a>Rexwell Villas</a>Rexwell Villas is an experienced sports writer covering a variety of sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and college football. He's a Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, and he claims to have JR Smith's conscience with his shot selection. He has won a basketball, a baseball, and a football championship in fantasy all within a year.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Injuries have taken so much away from Philadelphia 76ers star big man Joel Embiid. His career in the NBA can be defined by his greatness when he’s healthy and the achievements he would have added to his shiny basketball resume<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-nick-nurse-encouraged-joel-embiid-health-compared-last-preseason"> if it weren’t for the injuries he’s dealt with</a>.</p><p>During the 76ers’ 2025-26 NBA season opener against the Boston Celtics on the road at TD Garden, Embiid did not look remotely close to his top form.</p><p>Although he started in the game, he only had four points while going just 1-for-9 from the floor. On a minute restriction, Embiid only played 20 minutes, but even Jabari Walker, who came off the bench and played nearly as many minutes as the former NBA Most Valuable Player, had six points on four attempts from the field.</p><p>With Embiid having a rough night, fans shared all sorts of reactions to the center’s performance.</p><p>“Nick nurse got some balls benching him for the finish. Turned out to be the reason they won hes clearly not healthy,” a fan <a href="https://x.com/sheiwuzhxj/status/1981182234192466222" rel="noopener">said</a>.</p><p>“Looked so slow and gave 0 effort. Sixers look so much better with him on the bench. And this is coming from a huge Embiid fan,” another <a href="https://x.com/russellurban7/status/1981178994574971240" rel="noopener">chimed in</a>.</p><p>“He clearly should not be out there rn, I respect him trying to give it a go but man at some point you’re a detriment to your team and your own body,” one commenter <a href="https://x.com/Tubo21465/status/1981182186054439281" rel="noopener">wrote</a>.</p><p>From a <a href="https://x.com/PlayoffLucro/status/1981179130332008865" rel="noopener">different commenter</a>: “Genuinely sad man even haters have to admit”</p><p>“Joel Embiid needs to retire and save his body before it’s too late,” another social media user <a href="https://x.com/CryptidPolitics/status/1981178688961175799" rel="noopener">shared</a>.</p><p>Nevertheless, the 76ers got away with a 117-116 victory over Boston, thanks in large part to their <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-vj-edgecombe-breaks-allen-iverson-franchise-record-rookie-debut">excellent backcourt duo of Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe</a>, who erupted for 40 and 34 points, respectively.</p><p>Up ahead for the Sixers is a home game this coming Saturday against the Charlotte Hornets.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

76ers’ fans feel for Joel Embiid after ugly 4-point night vs. Celtics

<!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-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>

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
12.0	4.0	3.0	0.5	1.0

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
12.0	4.0	3.0	0.5	1.0

Joel Embiid news

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