Joel Embiid looks All-Star ready as 76ers manage injury risk

PHILADELPHIA — The basketball was loose and headed out of bounds and the 76ers were losing — and lost, big — to Cleveland when Joel Embiid knew he had to make a play. He swatted at the ball and pushed it behind him onto the court to keep the play alive. Embiid did not think in the moment of the career injury list that had burdened him head to toe and instead made like a punk rocker stage-diving into the crowd and belly-flopping his seven-foot-to, 270-pound frame over four rows of courtside seats.

Sixers fans who got a taste of Embiid in 3D patted the big man on the back and then mostly held their breath.

Every fall, every bump, every poke in the eye Embiid absorbs is just one more shot that historically has sidelined him for a few games, a few weeks, even a season. He simply got back to his feet and walked back to the court.

Play ball. Embiid was fine.

“That may be stupid,” Embiid said. “I felt like at that time, maybe we needed it. I didn’t dive because I wanted to show. I felt like I had a chance to save the ball.”

The caution signs are coming down for Embiid.

Yes, he’s proven more susceptible to injury than most players and that threat will always loom, but for the first time since his MVP season in 2022-23, Embiid is playing consistently without being tethered to minutes restrictions. Oh, and he’s about back to dominating inside on offence — 20-plus points in his last 12 games — even as knee and feet issues have hampered his agility on defence.

“I still feel like I’m not close to where I want to be yet,” Embiid said. “I feel pretty close. I’ve got to keep putting in the work and get there.”

Embiid’s absences — just 58 games played the last two seasons — have doomed the 76ers’ title aspirations. Last season was a total wreck, as the ballyhooed All-Star trio of Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey were smacked with injuries and the 76ers limped to a 24-58 record under coach Nick Nurse.

With expectations tempered this season — and with many critics who considered Embiid toast — the 76ers have instead been one of the surprises of the season. Embiid has played in 10 of the last 12 games (and averaged 26.9 points) and George has been a regular in the lineup — he’s scored at least 15 points in eight of his last 10 games —- after he missed the first 12 games recovering from offseason knee surgery.

The 35-year-old George signed a $212 million, four-year contract in free agency ahead of the 2024 season. But his first year in Philly was marred by knee and adductor injuries that resulted in the forward having one of the worst years of his NBA career.

“I feel a lot better physically,” George said. “But mentally it’s always going to be a hurdle. That’s up to me to kind of continue to knock those hurdles down. That’s always going to be a mental battle. How can I get as close to, or near, what I used to be physically. That’s what I’m chasing.”

The Sixers (22-17) sat a solid fifth in a wide-open Eastern Conference headed into Friday’s rematch with the Cavaliers.

“They really hit their stride,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said. “Embiid’s kind of getting back to the old Joel. That helps them a lot.”

Against the Cavs, Embiid hit a three-pointer that helped him reach 13,000 career points, the seventh player in team history to hit that mark.

Nurse remained encouraged that the 31-year-old Embiid was getting closer to rounding into the player that won a pair of NBA scoring titles and was a seven-time All-Star.

“When he starts driving the ball, when he starts rolling to the rim, that’s when he’s at his best,” Nurse said. “He’s doing that more. That opens up a lot for us, the other guys.”

Nurse added: “The bigger things for me is that he’s going to the rim, there’s some post-ups available. There’s some shot-blocking that’s starting to reemerge.”

The 76ers were often lost without Embiid on the court.

VJ Edgecombe, the No. 3 pick in the draft, has been a revelation for the Sixers and Maxey’s 30.5 points continues to push him toward All-NBA status and proved they can steady the team in the tough times.

The Sixers’ starters and key rotation players are finally, mostly healthy. At least feeling good enough to maybe make a run at the East.

“Just got to keep on going,” Embiid said. “It’s all about being smart. Do it the right way.”