Sixers' Joel Embiid Offers Update on His Knee Following Loss to Nets

Joel Embiid battled through multiple knee injuries during the 2020-2021 NBA season. Over the offseason, he had to recover from a torn meniscus, which he suffered in the first round of the playoffs last postseason.

Embiid had a full recovery and didn't have any physical limitations during training camp and the preseason this year, but he suffered another minor knee injury during the Sixers' season opener against the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday.

"It happened last game. I got kneed right into it," the big man revealed. Early on in the matchup against the Pelicans, Embiid was seen rubbing his knee. After colliding with another player, the big man has been feeling some soreness over the last few days. "It's been sore," he said. "Extremely sore, but I think I'll be alright." 

Leading up to Friday night's matchup against the Brooklyn Nets, the 76ers listed Embiid as questionable due to knee soreness. As the big man had the opportunity to participate in a morning shootaround and pregame warmups, the Sixers wanted to wait and see how he felt leading up to tip-off. 

To no surprise, Embiid was cleared for action roughly a half an hour before the Sixers, and the Nets started their second matchup of the year. After getting the night off early on Wednesday, Embiid had to play a little longer on Friday night.

However, Doc Rivers revealed after the game that the Sixers center's minutes were being monitored. Therefore, Embiid more than likely played less than what he would typically play if he weren't dealing with soreness.

In 29 minutes of action, Embiid chucked up 15 shots. He scored 19 points and collected eight rebounds and four assists while blocking four shots on the defensive end. Following the disappointing 114-109 loss to Brooklyn, Embiid mentioned that he "probably shouldn't have played" due to his setback. That led to his Sunday night status being in question.

"We'll see," Embiid said after getting asked whether he'll play against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday or not. "After last game, that was a pretty good day. But we'll see how it feels tomorrow. But I'm not planning on sitting. I want to keep playing as long as there's not any big damage."

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.