Philadelphia 76ers center and former NBA MVP Joel Embiid returned to action in the Sixers’ preseason finale on Friday night. The Sixers won their final exhibition game 126-110 over the Minnesota Timberwolves, but most of the attention was on the result of Embiid’s return more so than the result of the game itself.
It is the first time Embiid has played since Feb. 22. The big fella was never able to play with really any consistency last season as he continued to deal with his knee. He was finally shut
down for the last 26 games of the Sixers’ abysmal 2024-25 season.
But, on Friday night, with the Sixers hosting the Timberwolves in South Philadelphia to close their preseason, Embiid finally took the court again. It was also Embiid’s first preseason action since 2023.
So, how did it go?
Embiid finished with 14 points (5-for-10 field goals, 2-for-4 from long range) with seven rebounds, eight assists and three steals in 18:35 on the floor. He seemed to be playing a notch or two down on overall speed, which feels appropriate for his first game back in eight months, especially an exhibition one. Otherwise, the big man looked more comfortable moving than Sixers’ fans will have seen in what feels like forever. He didn’t seem to be trying to do too much, but looked an encouraging-level of agile and enduring on both sides of the floor.
Below, broken up by quarter, is nearly every play where Embiid was impactful — whether in ways that showed on the stat sheet or just ones that he was physically involved in, such as by blocking out and setting screens, whether the plays ultimately resulted in points or not.
Judge for yourself! How do you think Embiid’s preseason debut (and finale) went?