Sixers Rumors: Embiid's Battling Through Injury to Avoid Falling Behind

Joel Embiid hasn't been one-hundred percent throughout the start of the 2021-2022 NBA season. It seems crazy to say that, considering the Sixers have only

Joel Embiid hasn't been one-hundred percent throughout the start of the 2021-2022 NBA season. It seems crazy to say that, considering the Sixers have only played four games to date. Although Embiid battled through multiple injuries last year, he came into training camp fully healthy and cleared for action without limitations.

That was the case when the 76ers took the court for the regular-season opener against the New Orleans Pelicans, but Embiid's fully healthy status quickly faded after he was kneed in the knee during the first game.

Since then, the All-Star center hasn't been right. According to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, Embiid revealed he couldn't "walk for two days" following the first outing against the Pelicans. Despite feeling sore, Embiid pushed through and played against the Brooklyn Nets just two nights later.

He was also questionable leading up to the matchups against the Oklahoma City Thunder and the New York Knicks. Once again, Embiid pushed through the pain and played in both games. Many question why Embiid is playing so much to start the season if he's clearly not one-hundred percent. Shelburne reports that the star center has two primary reasons he's pushing through the pain.

One, there's no Ben Simmons. Two, he wants to avoid falling behind. Currently, the Sixers employ just two All-Stars. Simmons, who has yet to see the court for the Sixers this season, is out indefinitely due to personal reasons. His return is unclear. Embiid, the remaining All-Star, feels he needs to put the team on his back early as the Sixers don't want to fall behind while they are short-staffed. 

.@ramonashelburne on Joel Embiid playing through injuries (via NBA Today).

"He told me after this game in New Orleans, he couldn't walk for two days." 😳

(via NBA Today) pic.twitter.com/yuq6fdbfDN

— ESPN (@espn) October 27, 2021

"He's playing because Ben Simmons is not playing," Shelburne said on Wednesday. "They need one of them on the court. He wants to show leadership. At this moment, you don't want to fall behind to where you cannot come back."

So far, the Sixers have won two games and lost two games. Both wins came against non-contenders when the two losses came against playoff-ready Eastern Conference teams. It's still early on in the year, but the Sixers have shown clear signs of struggling this year. A lot of that has to do with the void of Ben Simmons at point guard. 

Embiid is attempting to put the Sixers on his back while dealing with knee pain, but he hasn't necessarily been spectacular to start the year. Perhaps, the All-Star center will get some rest moving forward as the 76ers can't risk losing their MVP-caliber prospect this early on in the year as they face uncertainty with their other star.

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