Getty Image
It’s a big season for the Philadelphia 76ers. The team was able to lure Paul George to Philadelphia to join Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey to form one of the league’s best big 3’s, and they filled out the rest of the roster well, too.
But, things are already off to an inauspicious start. Paul George is going to miss some time with a leg injury, and Joel Embiid isn’t ready to for their opening game on Wednesday against the Bucks.
Embiid’s absence has sparked an investigation by the NBA under their Player Participation Policy. Here’s ESPN’s Shams Charania with more.
The NBA is likely to begin an investigation later this week into the Philadelphia 76ers surrounding the player participation of All-NBA center Joel Embiid, sources told ESPN on Wednesday.
Embiid didn’t play in the preseason for what the team called left knee injury management and will miss three games this week — Wednesday’s season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks, Friday against the Toronto Raptors and Sunday against the Indiana Pacers.
It’s typical for the NBA to review a team anytime a superstar player misses a national television game, as per the player participation policy.
The NBA Player Participation Policy mandates that stars be available for nationally televised games unless an injury prevents them from playing. The Sixers will play the Bucks on ESPN Wednesday night, thus the game falling under the purview of the policy.
The Sixers need Joel Embiid healthy for the playoffs, and that’s their biggest concern this season. When he’s healthy, Embiid is as dominant as any player on earth with an unreal combination of scoring, playmaking, defense, and rebounding. At the same time, the Sixers owe it to the fans of the league for Embiid to play when he’s healthy. It’s definitely a Catch-22.