The Philadelphia 76ers held their official Media Day on Friday, Sept. 26. The story on the top of everyone's mind was what to expect from the Sixers' veteran stars, Joel Embiid and Paul George, after their offseason surgeries and ahead of training camp and the upcoming season.
Embiid was the first to take the podium. According to a form provided by the Sixers, he's entering the year weighing 270 pounds, the same weight he began last year at. Looking at Embiid, that number may be overstated as he looks noticeably trim, after already losing noticeable weight come Media Day last year.
This summer, an article on Embiid was released by ESPN. It was notable in large part as it was the most in-depth and honest look into Embiid's psyche that has been made public to date. Perhaps it was the psychological toll of last season, or the therapeutic experience of putting himself out there with that article and being received with acceptance, by and large.
Regardless, Embiid approached Media Day with a new level of honesty. Not clarity, which is also often demanded of him and the Sixers when it comes to his availability, but honesty nonetheless.
"I know, I miss a lot of games—before last year also—because of injuries," Embiid said. But, when you get to the point where I was last year, where it was so unpredictable, it sucks; it's mentally draining, but I've had so many injuries. The one thing that I've always told myself is you can't give up, no matter what comes, you just got to get back up and keep pushing through and do the right thing at all times and hope for the best.
Embiid did not disclose a specific recovery time for his injury, nor did he suggest at what level he will return when he does. What Embiid did discuss was the process around his recovery moving forward, which, while likely an unsatisfactory answer to fans, was at least upfront, and again, the keyword is honest.
"I want to be as honest as possible. I think, going forward, we'll just all listen to the body and be honest and say that it's going to be unpredictable at times, and that's okay," Embiid said. "We've got to work with that. You have to take it day by day and go from there."
There remains no expected return date for Embiid, with training camp beginning Saturday and the preseason beginning on Oct. 2. Still, he is at least participating in certain on-court activities and is already in a better mental space than he was last season.
"I'm excited to keep progressing. I feel really good. I'm on pace to just keep finding myself and being myself."
