Joel Embiid Faces a Season of Uncertainty as 76ers Await His Return

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Joel Embiid, once hailed as the savior of Philadelphia basketball, enters the 2025–26 NBA season under the shadow of uncertainty. Just 20 months ago, he was on top of the basketball world—scoring a career-high 70 points against the San Antonio Spurs and securing the 2023 NBA Most Valuable Player award. Now, following multiple knee surgeries and a disappointing 2024–25 campaign that saw him appear in just 19 games, his future as a dominant force in the league is in serious doubt. The Philadelphia 76ers stumbled to a 24–58 record last season, largely due to Embiid’s prolonged absence. As he prepares to make over $187 million over the next three years, questions about the value of his contract are becoming more frequent. Is this once-generational talent now a financial burden? Or can Embiid defy the odds and return to All-NBA form? Heading into training camp, optimism and caution are fighting for space in the minds of Sixers fans. Embiid has been seen working out with teammates, notably without a knee brace—an encouraging sign, yet hardly a guarantee. “We’ve lived through too many Ben Simmons offseason workouts to place much stock in what we see in August and September,” writes Sean Kennedy of SB Nation, reminding readers of the fragility of preseason hope.

The spectrum of possible outcomes is wide. On one hand, a healthy Embiid could restore Philadelphia’s relevance in the Eastern Conference. On the other, another setback might push him closer to the tragic career trajectories of injury-plagued big men like Yao Ming, Greg Oden, and Andrew Bynum. The likeliest scenario, Kennedy suggests, is somewhere in the middle—Embiid continues to battle, flashes brilliance, but struggles to stay consistently healthy. For fans and the city of Philadelphia, this season represents more than basketball. It’s about redemption, resilience, and the hope that one of the most talented players of his generation still has a few more memorable moments left. As Kennedy notes, despite Embiid’s missteps, “he has also been through a degree of physical, mental, and emotional trauma that many people fortunately never have to deal with in the course of their own lives”. His story is as human as it is athletic.

Regardless of how the season unfolds, Joel Embiid has already left an indelible mark on the Sixers and the city he’s come to represent. Fans now wait, cautiously optimistic, hoping for just one more run at greatness.