Joel Embiid is a notorious slow starter. Whether it’s the beginning of the season or after a long layoff, the former MVP generally takes a few games to get going.
So much for that.
The star center was brilliant from the opening tip in a 157-137 demolition of the Chicago Bulls Wednesday at Xfinity Mobile Arena. After missing the last 13 games with an oblique strain, Embiid arguably looked better physically than he has at any point during the 2025-26 campaign.
Embiid couldn’t miss early on. He was cooking in his office at the elbows and burying midrange jumpers and triples to the tune of 15 points in the first six minutes. All the caveats of it being a tanking Bulls team with banged-up big men, but it was a mighty encouraging first outing for the big fella.
The seven-time All-Star recorded 35 points (on a hyper-efficient 12-of-17 from the field, 3-of-3 from three and 8-of-9 from the line), seven assists, six rebounds and a block in 28 minutes.
What led to his torrid start?
“I don’t know,” he said. “I just shot the ball and it went in. I guess it kept going in, so I was like, ‘Let’s keep shooting.‘”
Indeed, it does seem that easy for Embiid some nights.
With how well Embiid was moving, it was fair to wonder if the time missed with the oblique strain he suffered nearly a month ago allowed the rest of his body to heal. While Embiid’s surgically-repaired left knee hasn’t been much of an issue, his right knee and a stress reaction in his right shin plagued him before and after the All-Star break.
The good news is Embiid said in the locker room postgame that his knees aren’t a problem at all right now.
“My knees haven’t been an issue for a long time. That’s past me,” he said.
The bad news is the oblique strain, which is on his right side, is still lingering.
“The oblique was very tricky — and it still is tricky,” he said. “There’s really nothing you can do about it. Just gotta let it ride and hope that it doesn’t get worse.”
And he also appeared to suffer a mysterious right wrist ailment — it was taped and he wore a sleeve over it during the game.
“Yeah. I don’t know. Something happened,” he said. “Just gotta watch it.”
If the wrist was bothering him, it sure didn’t show. Embiid was making everything and sailing passes around the gym with ease. He even threw down a poster dunk on Matas Buzelis and chased down old friend Guerschon Yabusele for a block. It was vintage Embiid.
It didn’t hurt that Embiid had a bit of help. Rookie VJ Edgecombe, who’s beared quite the load for the Sixers of late, did well to carry his recent uptick in aggressiveness over while also making sure Embiid and the also returning Paul George got to eat.
And speaking of George, the veteran forward also looked good in his return after a 25-game suspension. The nine-time All-Star started the game cold, but was an absolute flamethrower in the fourth quarter. He finished with 28 points, six rebounds, four assists, four steals and a block in 26 minutes.
Embiid knows if the Sixers want to do anything of substance this season, everyone needs to step up over these last nine games.
Even with all the weirdness surrounding the team this season (the last decade-plus?), they’re still very much in the mix. They sit at 40-33, just a half game behind the 40-32 Toronto Raptors for the sixth seed and final guaranteed playoff spot. Neither team has an easy schedule over the last nine (10 for the Raptors) games.
The Sixers, though, have Embiid and George back in the fold, with Tyrese Maxey and Kelly Oubre Jr. seemingly not too far behind them. Everything is right there for the taking.
But Embiid’s mentality is probably the right one — playoffs or Play-In, the Sixers simply have to play their best basketball down the stretch.
“I’m good. I’m ready,” Embiid said. “I feel OK. It’s time to go and try to win some games. Wherever we end up, we end up. Whether it’s [the Play-In or the playoffs], let’s see what we got.”
