Joel Embiid's Playing Status for Philadelphia 76ers vs Pacers

When the Philadelphia 76ers return to action on Friday night against the Indiana Pacers, they anticipate having their star center, Joel Embiid, back in the mix for the second game in a row.

Barring any unexpected changes, Embiid is on pace to play as he’s been left off of the injury report, signaling he is officially available.

All season long, Embiid has been managing the knee he injured last season. At the start of the 2024-2025 NBA season, Embiid missed the first nine games of action. On November 12, he made his season debut against the New York Knicks before taking the following night off.

Joel Embiid was a full participant in practice again today. Caleb Martin and Adem Bona were the only players not to participate today.
— Paul Hudrick (@PaulHudrick) December 12, 2024

It seemed Embiid was back in the mix for the long haul when he returned to face the Orlando Magic on the road back in mid-November. However, after appearing in the next two games, Embiid was back on the injury report, as he experienced swelling in his knee.

The Sixers planned for a two-game absence and played the rest by ear. Embiid ended up missing seven more games from late November up until the December 6 matchup against the Orlando Magic.

When the Sixers paid a visit to the Chicago Bulls on December 8, Embiid was upgraded to questionable on the injury report before getting the green light to make his return. The big man would check in for 33 minutes on the road last Sunday, having an impressive outing in an eight-point Sixers win.

Embiid helped the Sixers take down the Bulls with a 31-point, 12-rebound showing. After the Sixers took off two days, they returned to practice on Wednesday and Thursday. Embiid was present for both sessions. Since he avoided setbacks in the sessions, the All-Star center is set to face the Pacers.

Who’s Out vs. Pacers?

Following Wednesday’s practice session, Nick Nurse addressed Caleb Martin. The veteran forward has struggled offensively through the first stretch of the season, but it’s clear he’s been dealing with multiple setbacks.

Nick Nurse has a positive outlook on Martin despite production concerns.

“He's out there playing he's not anywhere near 100 percent,” Nurse told reporters. “He's got all kinds of things going on trying to take care of some of those. I'm encouraged. I think he can certainly play a lot better. He's kind of in this trying to figure out where he is, how he fits, all that kind of stuff. But I'm not worried about it at all because he plays his guts out. He's great in the locker room. He puts in all the time on film, all those kinds of things. It's just going to be a bonus when he gets settled in, feeling a little better physically, then we can figure out how to use him and make him feel a little more comfortable.”

It appears that Martin will get a chance to rest and recover further on Friday. According to the 76ers’ injury report, the veteran forward is out due to a right shoulder impingement. That can be added to his list of ailments this year, as Martin has dealt with back and ankle concerns recently, too.

Injury report for tomorrow against the Pacers:

OUT: Caleb Martin (right shoulder impingement), Adem Bona (left knee tendinopathy) #Sixers
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) December 12, 2024

In his first 20 games with the Sixers, Martin has averaged nine points on 41 percent shooting from the field and 29 percent shooting from three.

Beyond Matin, the Sixers don’t plan to have the rookie second-round pick Adem Bona on the court on Friday as well. Lately, Bona has been dealing with a knee injury.

The rookie suffered his setback during the Sixers’ four-point loss against the Magic at home on December 4. Just as Bona was getting a chance to collect consistent minutes in the absence of Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond, he started dealing with a setback.

During Bona’s recent three-game stretch, he averaged three points and three rebounds. He’ll miss his third-straight game on Friday night against Indiana.