NBA
Nick Nurse said there is ‘some chance’ Joel Embiid plays in the 76ers’ preseason finale
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated2 hours ago on October 15, 2025
Friday, October 17, is the final day of the NBA’s 2025-26 preseason. Opening night is Tuesday, October 21. Fans around the league are eager to see their respective teams in the brand new season.
After a disastrous 2024-25 season for Philadelphia, they are trying to remain optimistic ahead of 2025-26. For the Sixers to have success this year, they need Joel Embiid to be healthy and available. That hasn’t been true for the big man in each of his last two seasons. The 31-year-old is recovering from knee surgery. Recently, head coach Nick Nurse spoke with the media and said that Joel Embiid has “some chance” to play in the 76ers’ preseason finale on Friday.
Will Joel Embiid see any preseason action before 2025-26 begins?
Nick Nurse says that there’s a chance that Joel Embiid could play in the final preseason game 👀
“I think there’s some chance, yeah. I don’t think we’re there yet. It’s a little early in the week to decide…We got some thresholds to get over before we get to that point.” pic.twitter.com/pB2ZBaEEV8
— PHLY Sixers (@PHLY_Sixers) October 14, 2025
During his 2024-25 campaign with the 76ers, Joel Embiid played in just 19 of 82 games. The veteran center had his season cut short due to a lingering knee injury. In April 2025, Joel Embiid had knee surgery. This was to address discomfort in his knee from previous procedures. Embiid has used the last five-and-a-half to six months to recover and be ready for the 2025-26 season. On Tuesday, 76ers head coach Nick Nurse gave an update on his MVP center.
He told the media that Joel Embiid has “some chance” to play in the Sixers’ preseason finale. The 76ers are at home this Friday to face the Minnesota Timberwolves. Joel Embiid playing in their final preseason game would be massive. Any legitimate action he can see ahead of the 2025-26 is extremely valuable.
Joel Embiid Has ‘Some Chance’ To Play In Final Preseason Game https://t.co/eaewOE1JcR
— RealGM (@RealGM) October 15, 2025
On Tuesday, October 14, Joel Embiid was a limited participant at practice for the Sixers. However, this was planned, and the big man has had no setbacks. This past Sunday, Joel Embiid participated in the 76ers’ Blue vs. White scrimmage at Chase Fieldhouse. That’s a positive sign for the Sixers. Head coach Nick Nurse noted that Embiid still has to be fully cleared for the 2025-26 season.
Will the 2025-26 season be different, or will Joel Embiid be plagued by injuries once again? Over the last two seasons, he’s played in 58 games and missed 106. He last played 60+ games for Philadelphia during the 2022-23 season. That was when he won the NBA MVP. The 76ers would love for Joel Embiid to stay healthy and be back at his MVP form. How many games will Embiid play for the Sixers in 2025-26?
