Nov 8, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) drives for a shot against Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (4) during the second quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Philadelphia — After two days off, Joel Embiid was unexpectedly ruled out of Tuesday's home game against the Boston Celtics due to right knee soreness.
The right knee, it should be noted, is not the one that has caused Embiid significant problems over the last season and a half.
However, as is fair and natural with a player of his injury history, the development was a prioritized topic at Nick Nurse's pregame media availability on Tuesday.
"We had shootaround today, obviously day off yesterday. He just reported a little soreness in his right knee," Nurse told reporters.
Imaging was done on Embiid's knee on Tuesday afternoon. Doctors are reviewing the imaging with Embiid on Tuesday night.
Nurse would not describe the matter as 'urgent' given that Embiid's doctors were so immediately available to assess the situation.
Nurse did not offer expectations about Embiid's status for upcoming games, either.
"We're going to see what they say about the imaging," he reiterated.
The Sixers do not have a moment pinpointed in any recent games that they believe caused the soreness in Embiid's knee.
Paul George, who has yet to play this season as he recovers from a knee injury suffered this summer, had an appointment with doctors this past weekend to determine how close he is to making his season debut.
There was no update provided on Saturday or Sunday. The team had a mandatory off day with no media availability on Monday due to it being the day after the final leg of a back-to-back.
"He has been looked at this weekend. He also has a doctor and the surgeons here this evening, as well, to go over that," Nurse said.
"So, again, we'll have some more info on where he is and his status shortly."
It would've been foolish to think the Sixers were going to make it through this season without any instances of unexpected Embiid absences. Some knee soreness, especially on the joint that was not the more recently problematic one, is not a rational cause for panic at this time.
The last we saw of Embiid, he was doing little to stifle a smile and laugh as he compared Trendon Watford to former teammate Ben Simmons after the former registered a triple-double in Saturday's victory over the Toronto Raptors.
Embiid has looked mentally refreshed in this early chunk of the season. The Raptors game represented the best he's played yet.
There were no visible signs of trouble on Saturday. Sunday, the second leg of a back-to-back, was a planned absence for the Sixers star.
This could all end up being nothing. As you can deduce from the above, there is no indication in any direction that this will be an ongoing issue. But this is likely a taste of what life will be like as Embiid departs his prime and the wear and tear of years of carrying this franchise takes a toll on his body.
Even if the soreness is a short-term issue and he's back playing within the next week, how realistic is it for this team to have big-picture aspirations this season if Embiid can play only after two days of rest and needs several days of maintenance every couple weeks?
The locals are at the mercy of what his knees — and doctors — have to say. Time will tell what that means.
As if Tuesday didn't have enough news, the Sixers' sixth man made some headlines with a move to a power broker in the basketball business:
We are excited to welcome @qdotgrimes to the CAA family! pic.twitter.com/fIdhnka4ys
CAA is one of the best agencies in the sport. Grimes is playing on a one-year deal known as the qualifying offer this season. He will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2026. How dissatisfied was he with the outcome of his restricted free agency? Apparently enough to change representation to one of the titans of industry.
