Nick Nurse's Honest Statement on Joel Embiid After 76ers-Nets

Coming out of the All-Star break, the health of Joel Embiid has been a major topic for the Philadelphia 76ers. The former MVP made some choice comments after Thursday's loss to the Boston Celtics. Then, following a last-second loss to the Brooklyn Nets Satruday, Nick Nurse joined in on the conversation.

With the Nets being one of teams in striking range of them in the standings, Saturday's matchup was important for the Sixers as they make a push for the play-in. Despite this, a sluggish effort out of the gates resulted in them facing an early deficit.

The Sixers managed to find their stride after a rough first quarter, storming back down the stretch. Things could have gone either way in the final moments, with the Nets managed to steal a victory. Nic Claxton tipped in a missed shot as time expired, resulting in a 105-103 win for Brooklyn.

Feb 22, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) drives for a shot against Brooklyn Nets center Day'Ron Sharpe (20) during the third quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

In the fourth quarter, Nurse made the bold decision to bench Embiid. It also paid off, as they group managed to go on a run and make things interesting. When talking about the All-Star big man after the game, Nurse echoed a lot of the things Embiid brought up Thursday. That being the physical limitations have resulted in him being in a much different player on the floor.

"He's giving us what he can. He's not himself, we all know that," Nurse told reporters postgame. "He's not, certainly, the guy that we're used to seeing play at a super high level. But I commend him for giving us what he can."

Nick Nurse, on Joel Embiid: "He's giving us what he can. He's not himself, we all know that. He's not, certainly, the guy that we're used to seeing play at a super high level. But I commend him for giving us what he can." pic.twitter.com/RXawIL4Y9I
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) February 23, 2025

Between these comments and Embiid's remarks, it's evident the Sixers star isn't able to give it his all as the season comes to a close. Given the latest small sample size of games, the argument of shutting him down is slowly getting louder. That said, the team hasn't mentioned anything of making that drastic of a decision yet.

With this loss to the Nets, the Sixers now find themselves in 12th place in the Eastern Conference. They'll return to action Monday, facing off against the new-look Chicago Bulls.

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