
February 03, 2025
What is the status of Joel Embiid's left knee?
Joel Embiid (left knee injury management) and Paul George (left finger extensor tendon injury) participated in the Sixers’ Monday morning practice according to head coach Nick Nurse, who added that the entire team practiced aside from rookie Jared McCain.
Embiid has missed the team's last 15 games since making his last appearance on Jan. 4. The first six absences during this stretch were due to a left foot sprain he sustained on Dec. 25. He played through in four of the team's next five contests. On Jan. 17, the Sixers announced that Embiid's foot had healed, but after conducting an on-court workout, swelling had once again appeared in his left knee.
In each of the nine games since, Embiid has been ruled out due to the same left knee injury management tag which cost him the first six games of the season before a three-game suspension followed, and then another seven games in a row in November and December.
Embiid, who inked a three-year supermax extension with the Sixers in September -- tying him to the team for the next five years at a combined salary of nearly $300 million -- has just not been able to stay on the floor, an ominous sign for the soon-to-be 31-year-old seven-footer who the Sixers have built their team around.
George, 34, has also missed plenty of time this season, including each of the last three games. George appeared to jam his left pinky finger during the second quarter of the Sixers' win over the Chicago Bulls on Jan. 25. He missed the remainder of that game and has not played since, with the Sixers initially calling the ailment a sprain in his fifth finger before later adding that it was an injury to the extensor tendon.
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse has repeatedly indicated that the team did not expect George to experience another long-term absence, and before the team's loss to the Boston Celtics on Sunday, Nurse said George had recently participated in some live action while wearing a splint.
Nurse added that he hoped the team was "a little closer" to seeing their injured players return and that "the rest of them" could be back later this week. In addition to Embiid and George, the team has been without Caleb Martin, KJ Martin and Andre Drummond for extended periods.
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