Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid's impact on the team as he navigates through a knee injury to open the 2025-26 season has been a topic of discussion within the NBA.

Joel Embiid (right knee injury management) will miss his 10th consecutive game when the Sixers host the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday evening, according to the team's initial injury report for the game unveiled on Saturday. VJ Edgecombe (left calf injury management) and Andre Drummond (right knee contusion) are listed as questionable:

The Philadelphia 76ers have gotten their campaign off to a competitive start, led by the solid play of All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey. NBA legend Charles Barkley, however, cast doubt on whether the team can sustain it if big man Joel Embiid remains sidelined due to injury.

Sources I spoke to expressed confidence that Joel Embiid would continue to build trust in his troublesome left knee. But Embiid has now missed more than two weeks with soreness in his right knee. That underscores the fragile state of his body;

Joel Embiid has not played since Nov. 8, but he is just one of many Sixers to deal with injury issues over the last few weeks.

It’s been a brutal season of never-ending despondency for Joel Embiid. The 76ers’ star center has only played 13 of the first 44 games of the 2024-25 season because of various injuries. Veteran fans of the Sixers know that Embiid’s frequent health-related “Did Not Plays” (DNPs) aren’t new.

After missing several games, the Philadelphia 76ers have upgraded Joel Embiid for Tuesday's action against the Magic.

Gilbert Arenas believes the biggest issue with Joel Embiid's injury concerns is the lack of sustained training, which is causing significant harm to his body.