The Philadelphia 76ers have had a season to forget in 2024-25. Injuries have constantly hampered Nick Nurse and company, and they have been one of the most disappointing teams in the league as a result.
Even when Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George have all been healthy and on the floor together, the 76ers still haven’t been able to win games consistently. George hasn’t looked like his prime self and Embiid has struggled with his knee injury from last season.
On Friday, the 76ers made a final decision about Embiid’s status for the rest of the season. Philadelphia is shutting him down for the remainder of the year as it tries to climb back into the play-in picture in the Eastern Conference.
Of course, this has become somewhat of a theme of Embiid’s career so far. Even when he is able to make it to the end of the season, he is often injured in a way that affects his performance down the stretch of the year and into the playoffs. After his latest injury, NBA fans took to social media to clown Embiid for yet another setback.
The Embiid extension is the second worst decision by a front office this season.
— Russillo (@ryenarussillo) February 28, 2025
Embiid gave his career for that gold medal wow he actually might be a patriot
— Dave (@eyejustkantbro) February 28, 2025
Joel Embiid every season pic.twitter.com/BFM16qHRPb
— Hater Report (@HaterReport_) February 28, 2025
Of course, Embiid doesn’t have a ton of control over these injuries, but it has become a part of his reputation and synonymous with who he is as a player.
As unfortunate as the injury is, shutting Embiid down is probably the right course of action if the 76ers want any hope of getting the former MVP back to that level. He looked nothing like that this season while managing his knee injury and was hurting Philadelphia on the court as a result.
Add that onto the fact that this 76ers team was likely going nowhere with or without Embiid this season, and you have what became somewhat of an easy choice. Promising rookie Jared McCain is out for the season and the 76ers are currently just 20-38 on the season, which is far outside the play-in picture. Even if they can sneak into the playoffs, it’s highly unlikely that they can make any noise with this version of the team.
The 76ers also have an incentive to lose games if they aren’t contending for a championship. If their draft pick this summer doesn’t end up in the top six, it goes to the Oklahoma City Thunder from a 2020 trade that brought Danny Green to Philadelphia.
As it stands, the 76ers have a decent chance to land in that top six and the decision to sit Embiid should only help them slide down the standings.
The post NBA fans roasting 76ers’ Joel Embiid after latest injury news appeared first on ClutchPoints.
