Joel Embiid's Playing Status vs. Charlotte Hornets Wednesday

It’s been a quiet preseason for Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid.

The good news is that the big man hasn’t suffered any setbacks after undergoing surgery in the offseason to repair his injured finger. However, the Sixers have stuck to a plan to take it easy with the All-Star before the regular season approaches.

When the Sixers wrapped up training camp and paid a visit to the Brooklyn Nets last Monday, Embiid didn’t participate in the preseason opener. He was joined by James Harden and PJ Tucker as one of the three prospects to take a rest night.

When the Sixers returned to the court on Wednesday, all three prospects were available and cleared for action. In 18 minutes, Embiid scored 12 points while coming down with six rebounds. He also racked up three assists before checking out for the night in the first half.

The Sixers were set to engage in a rematch with the Cavaliers earlier this week, but Embiid wouldn’t participate that time around. As the team hit the road to travel to Cleveland, Embiid was the only member of the team to stay home as he was given a planned night off.

Without Embiid, the Sixers debuted their new look small-ball lineup by shifting PJ Tucker to the five spot and bringing De’Anthony Melton off the bench. Although the lineup had growing pains, the Sixers managed to take down the Cavs with a 113-97 win.

Will Embiid Return for the Finale?

According to Doc Rivers, Joel Embiid is on pace to play in the Sixers' preseason finale against the Hornets on Wednesday night.

Joel Embiid is playing tonight, per Doc Rivers #Sixers
— Justin Grasso (@JGrasso_) October 12, 2022

“We may play a little into the second half, depending on how the game’s going," said Rivers before the game. "Sometimes you get into these games, and the other team doesn’t cooperate, and they take all of their guys off the floor. So, you take yours off the floor. We’ll see. I’d like to play him a good first half and maybe a little bit into the third quarter as well.”

Embiid and the Sixers are set to take on the Charlotte Hornets for their fourth and final preseason game. The two teams will tip off at the Wells Fargo Center at 7:00 PM ET.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.