Joel Embiid has made his season debut and is ready to give the weak 76ers the boost they need

Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid returned to a rousing ovation from 76ers fans in his first game of the season, a start marred by injuries and a suspension for the All-Star center that kept Philadelphia at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

Embiid wasted no time in giving the Sixers a tantalizing glimpse of what could happen on Tuesday night against the New York Knicks – a dish to oft-injured All-Star Paul George for a game-opening layup.

“He looked good,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said of Embiid before the game. “He has done a lot of work to prepare here. He looks pretty good. You have to go out there and do it live.”

Embiid, wearing a brace on his surgically repaired left knee, pointed to the sky as he walked onto the court for pregame warmups, looking in shape and ready for his debut.

He had already stayed here after the shooting for extra work. The 7-footer was in no hurry to finish his practices.

Embiid shot free throws, worked on his post game and took soft jumpers during a practice Tuesday morning to prepare for his season debut and first game with George, who joined the Sixers in the summer on a four-year, $212 million contract.

Without Embiid, the Sixers went 2-7.

“It’s the right step in the right direction that we want to achieve,” Sixers forward Caleb Martin said. “Of course we are happy to have someone like him back on our team.”

Embiid, George and fellow All-Star Tyrese Maxey, out with a right hamstring injury, were the 76ers’ version of the Big Three that would make them one of the big favorites from the East.

Instead, the trio has yet to play a game together.

“We had our problems without them,” Nurse said. “It’s important for us to get to a phase where we figure out what we look like with these guys here and how that affects the other parts. Which guys can get on the floor with whom? Try to build some chemistry.

The 76ers are coming off an overtime win against Charlotte, but face an uphill climb into the playoffs.

There have been 20 teams in NBA history that went 1-6 or 0-7 in the playoffs, although this has been extremely rare in recent years. In the last 27 years, only three teams – the 2003-04 Miami Heat (0-7), the 2004-05 Chicago Bulls (0-7) and the 2021-22 New Orleans Pelicans (1-6) – have started one and made it to the playoffs.

Embiid’s return can only further the push toward a winning record.

Embiid, a seven-time All-Star, returns after what the team called treatment for his left knee and the end of a three-game suspension for shoving a member of the media.

By his own admission, Embiid says he will not play back-to-back games this season, meaning he will sit out Wednesday’s game against Cleveland. The next back-to-back games are December 3rd at Charlotte and December 4th at home against Orlando.

Play it at home in front of fans who paid exorbitant ticket prices to see Andre Drummond at center this season, right?

No, so quickly.

Similar to Tuesday’s game against the Knicks, the Hornets game was part of the NBA Cup’s round-robin schedule.

The 76ers have spoken openly since the preseason about how they plan to use Embiid this season – managing his minutes and games played enough to allow them to navigate him safely and healthy into the postseason for the first time in his career.

Nurse, the sports science departments and the front office face a delicate situation in deciding when Embiid will play this season. Plus, with Embiid, there’s no guarantee he won’t get injured again, a blow that would put the franchise closer to the draft lottery than to chasing its first NBA championship since 1983.

Possible setbacks for Embiid are a concern.

On Tuesday, Embiid banners lined the hall at the Wells Fargo Center and his teammates – and fans – were excited to see him play for the first time since he helped the United States win a gold medal at the Paris Olympics.

“You have to expect that there will be hiccups, kinks and things like that,” Martin said. “Understand that it’s about putting together a new team and putting pieces back together. Just expect the unexpected.”

Hey, that’s the 76ers way.

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