Nick Nurse expressed disappointment with 76ers center Joel Embiid being sidelined for the remainder of the season.
“Not what we hoped,” the coach said before Saturday’s game against the Golden State Warriors at the Wells Fargo Center.
But after further evaluation of the seven-time All-Star’s left knee, the Sixers determined Friday evening that Embiid was medically unable to play and will remain sidelined to focus on treatment and rehabilitation.
The 2023 MVP had missed the previous two games while he and the team considered treatments, including another surgery, for his ailing left knee. Embiid underwent testing on his knee on Monday and Tuesday.
The team had previously said that Embiid, who only played 19 games this season, wouldn’t require surgery and could finish the season.
So Nurse was asked Saturday if the 7-foot-2, 280-pounder had a recent setback.
“Not that I know of,” he said.
But this season has been a struggle from the start for Embiid, who has yet to fully recover from a knee issue dating back to last season. He tore the meniscus in his left knee against the Golden State Warriors on Jan. 30, 2024.
Embiid had surgery seven days later and remained out until April 2.
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“I wouldn’t say [it’s gotten worse],” Nurse said. “Again, I get the reports from the medical team. But I think it has felt good at times and it’s felt not as good at times. It’s been kind of an up-and-down thing.
“That’s it. It gets points where it feels a little bit better, and we go play. Then it swells up again and it doesn’t feel that good, and he can’t play as well, he can’t move as well.”
His averages of 23.8 points and 8.2 rebounds were the fourth- and second-lowest, respectively, in his nine NBA seasons. He also shot career lows from the field (44.4%) and on three-pointers (29.9%).
Podcast P put on hold
Paul George announced during his latest episode of ‘Podcast P with Paul George’ that he was taking a step back from the podcast to focus on getting his body and helping the Sixers turn things around. The decision came before Wednesday’s loss to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
The nine-time All-Star was asked recently about his decision.
“It was more so just to focus on here,” George said. “I haven’t been the healthiest. So, it’s just been putting a ton of work towards getting my body as healthy as possible, and the key focus of, obviously, being here and trying to turn things around here.
“The full focus is trying to get this team together, but we got to give ourselves a chance. Take it one game at a time, but we got to give ourselves a chance to see what we can do down the stretch.”
» READ MORE: Check out the latest on Joel Embiid’s injury history with the Inquirer’s tracker