CAMDEN, N.J. — Joel Embiid pulled a pleasant surprise on Sunday by taking part in the 76ers’ annual Blue X White scrimmage in Wilmington.
It would be another surprise if Embiid played in Friday’s preseason finale against Minnesota, but coach Nick Nurse did not rule it out on Tuesday.
“I think there’s some chance, yeah,” Nurse said after a practice at the 76ers training facility. “I don’t think we’re there yet. It’s a little early in the week to decide. But I think it still could go either way. We’ve got some thresholds to get over yet before we get to that point.”
Embiid was a partial participant in practice, as was planned by the team. He’s recovered well from Sunday’s exertions, the first time he’s played full-court, 5-on-5 before an audience since Feb. 22 against Brooklyn, the last of his 19 games in 2024-25.
Embiid had offseason cleanup surgery on the left knee that was operated on in February 2024 to repair a meniscus tear from which he’d never fully healed. At the team’s media day last month, Embiid said he’s going to take it day by day to see how his body recovers. The report this week is that he’s in a good place.
He took part in some of the early portions of practice Tuesday, then was on court for a lengthy session of 1-on-1 drills against Kelly Oubre, VJ Edgecombe, Tyrese Maxey, Paul George and others.
“From all accounts, he responded fine,” Nurse said. “He was in practice again today, looking good, feeling good. He just did the beginning parts of practice today, but that’s as planned. I do think he responded well to it. So continuing to cross thresholds.”
Embiid’s participation, Oubre hopes, is good for Embiid, too, to keep him engaged and his spirits up.
The 76ers have discussed changing their offense in significant ways this offseason, from three-guard looks to a reconfigured four-spot to upping the pace. Too many times last year when Embiid was on the court, he was out of step with the way the team played in his absences, which accounted for more time than his presence.
Incorporating him early is a way to smooth that transition. And for a player that Oubre referred to “a cheat code” in one-on-ones, it’s valuable all around.
“More so for him and for us together, just to build that camaraderie, and for him to learn the flow and the pace and just to figure out where he can assert his dominance in our offense and as he is as a player,” Oubre said. “I think it means everything. The energy is always there when he’s around, and he could feed off of that and just continue to just take those next steps in his development, as well.”
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George (knee surgery) and Trendon Watford (hamstring) were not official practice participants, but they are ramping up to more activities in the hopes of coming clearances for contact.
Nurse said George, who dealt with a bevy of injuries last year and had knee surgery in July after an injury suffered during a workout, is progressing.
“He was in practice today for the introductory parts, and keeps inching, inching a little further along,” Nurse said. “So again, I’m just waiting for them to be cleared, guys like him and Watford, for some more contact and then for full contact.”
Watford, the forward signed as a free agent this summer, has been day-to-day since September. Nurse said “hopefully it’ll be soon” that he’s back on the court. Neither has gotten into a preseason game.
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The same is true for Quentin Grimes, whose training camp arrival was delayed by a contract saga. He finally accepted his one-year qualifying offer ahead of the Oct. 1 deadline after efforts at a long-term deal failed to materialize. He didn’t start practicing with the team until after its return from a week in the United Arab Emirates.
Grimes said he expects to play Friday against Minnesota at the Xfinity Mobile Arena. Nurse was impressed by Grimes’ conditioning upon his late arrival.
“He’s, in my estimation, probably better conditioned than I assumed he would be,” Nurse said. “I don’t see really any issues there. But he looks the same: He’s explosive, he’s shooting it, he’s playing hard at both ends, he’s scoring the ball. So it looks pretty good, not nearly as far behind as I thought he would be.”
Grimes, a Houston native who spent his last two years of college with the Cougars, had been working out with Kelvin Sampson’s college program to stay sharp.
“I’m just being a pro,” Grimes said. “It’s what we get paid to do, take care of our bodies, be ready for anything. I was just down there in Houston with Coach Sampson and the guys, just staying in shape. You never know what is going to happen and when stuff is going to get resolved, so just being a pro and just staying ready at all times.”
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