The Philadelphia 76ers kicked off their season with a 117-116 victory against the Boston Celtics, even with Paul George and Jared McCain sidelined. Tyrese Maxey had an outstanding game, scoring 40 points, while rookie VJ Edgecombe made headlines with a phenomenal 34-point debut, marking the highest scoring debut in the NBA since Wilt Chamberlain in 1959.

However, concerns loom for fans of the Sixers as Joel Embiid struggled significantly, managing only four points on 1-for-9 shooting and a game-worst minus-16 rating in 20 challenging minutes. His inability to jump or perform basic movements was particularly alarming.

“Joel Embiid not jumping AT ALL anymore… His knees are cooked.”
— BrickCenter (Translation: Joel Embiid doesn’t jump at all anymore; his knees are in bad condition.)

Even after getting blocked by Xavier Tillman, Embiid’s performance left fans worried. Simplifying matters, coach Nick Nurse attempted to spin the narrative positively, citing Embiid’s presence as a positive aspect despite his poor shooting.

Nurse commented, “I think that he played good. I know that’s going to sound silly, 1 for 9 [shooting]. He just didn’t shoot it very good. I thought he transferred the ball good. I thought he made some good decisions… But I thought he was moving good and made good decisions, which is really positive.”
(Translation: Coach Nick Nurse stated that despite Embiid’s shooting, he displayed positive ball movement and decision-making.)