Joel Embiid opens up about lingering knee injury: ‘Depressing and annoying’

After the Philadelphia 76ers 108-100 win over the Chicago Bulls, Joel Embiid opened up about the lingering knee injury that has limited him to just five total games so far during the 2024-25 NBA season.

"Depressing," Embiid said of the situation, via ESPN. "Just trying to figure it out. There's no injury. Just between the swelling ... we've got to get it figured out. That's it.

"I've been saying it for the last few months. It's been extremely depressing. It's something that hasn't been figured out, and it's been extremely annoying, because I would love to play every single game."

Sixers fans have been searching for clarity regarding Embiid's status this season, but it sounds like the star center is also searching for answers of his own.

"I think the whole thing is about health ... that's what it comes down to," Embiid added. "I wish I could have been playing from the beginning. I would love to play every single game, every single minute, but sometimes your body just says, 'No,' and you can't do nothing about it. All you can do is just keep working to fix it and get better."

In his five appearances so far this season, Embiid is averaging 22.0 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 31.6 minutes per performance. These numbers are lower than what we've come to expect from the former NBA MVP, but  it's obviously been tough for him to find any kind of rhythm given his consistent absences. Perhaps his performance against the Bulls will be one he can build on moving forward.

Embiid had his best game of the season (so far) against Chicago, as he posted 31 points, 12 rebounds and four assists in the victory.

But, production is never the concern when it comes to Embiid, it's availability. We all know that he can put up monster numbers and consistently lead the Sixers to victory when he's out on the court, but what we don't know is if he'll be able to be out on the court consistently for the Sixers.

It doesn't even sound like Embiid truly knows how vast his on-court contributions will be this season, which is leading to the frustration that he mentioned. But, Embiid did make one thing clear with his recent quotes: He's dying to be out on the floor with his teammates, despite the narrative that has been pushed by some fans and pundits.

Follow Michael Kaskey-Blomain on X @therealmikekb.