Everything we learned about Sixers’s injuries at Media Day – NBC Sports Philadelphia
The accidents again ruled the day while the Sixer formally made the ball run in their 2025-26 season.
“Obviously, we know that for us the biggest thing is health,” said Joel Embiid on Friday.
From EMBIID’s knee to Kelly Oubre’s little finger Jr., that’s what we learned about the health of the media day in Camden, New Jersey.
Joel Embiid
EMBIID suffered a arthroscopic surgery in April on the annoying left knee that limited him to 19 games last season.
The MVP of 2022-23 has been satisfied with its trajectory since then, although EMBIID and Sixers are not inclined to position any exact public timing in its next steps.
“I feel quite well,” he said. “I think we have made many progress in the past two months. We have a plan in place, try to take a look at all boxes … this is still a bit like a period of feeling in which we are taking it only day after day. It continues to become stronger, continues to improve.
“There have been some court sessions, so everything has been on scheduled times. … I think there is not necessarily a expectation. It is more about making sure everything is right and doing everything in the right way, and then going from there.”
EMBIID has recognized that, as its history full of accidents and unfortunate suggests, the season may not be an ultra smooth ride.
“I think I want to be as honest as possible,” he said. “I think going forward, I will listen to the body. I will be honest and I will say that sometimes it will be unpredictable, and that’s okay. We have to work with that. We have to take it day by day and go from there.
“So I think that the only thing I focus on is every time we are on the right path, he continues. If there is something that happens at that moment, it’s fine. Concentrate only on the resolution and he continues. This is my mentality.”
The debutant Johni Broome provided some in-depth analysis on how EMBIID appeared in the action of the pre-training camp.
“It’s fantastic. He practiced the other day and I had to protect him. He scored a pair in a row,” Broome said with a smile. “This is what you expect. Game a good defense and has a better offense. This is the type of player who is, but I am happy that I go against him in practice and I will have it on my side during the year. He is a great person to learn from and is very open to talk to you about things you have to improve.
Paul George
George has undergone a more recent arthroscopic left knee surgery than that of Embiid.
He said that “he is improving more and more, feeling stronger and feeling” following that July procedure. However, the 35 -year -old striker does not expect to participate in the training field practices for the weekend of Sixers. George has noticed that he is able to do “practically everything in addition to full contact”.
“I’m in the weight room, I’m lifting, I’m working every day,” he said. “I am on the field. I am not ready to start the conditioning complex in court with the race and things like that, but I am on the field, I am working. I am doing fixed exercises … moved by one by two.
George played only half of the Sixers’ games last year. He also tried to grind several significant persistent wounds – knee, groin, minkie – even when the Sixer were many games below .500. He didn’t work well for him or for the team.
Will your attitude be different going on playing with annoying problems?
“I am not a doctor, but I think I am alone trusting my body, trusting the process that goes this season,” said George. “The team is allowing me to be as much as possible (near) to 100 (percent), because it is what I signed for. This is what they signed me for, to enter and be the Paul George who came out and recruited last year. So for me, I have to be healthy. It’s really everything.
“Once again, I’m putting my job, I’m putting time, I’m seeing progress. I feel more and more similar to me every day, and this is the most important thing when the dates are running out and we are preparing to start the season. So I like it where I am, I like it as we have progressed and this is the only way to look at it now.”
Jared McCain
One day after suffering from a tear of the UCL in the right thumb, McCain was absent from the media day.
“He is still consulting with specialists. … he still collects that feedback,” said the president of the basketball operations by Sixers Darryl Morey. “We know that Jared will attack him just like the last one (injury) and will return even better.”
Kelly Oubre Jr.
On Friday Oubre entered the detail on facing the lesions of the long -term fingers which he previously indicated have placed challenges with his sweater.
“I suffered surgery to the left little finger and thumb,” he said. “Different years, several surgery. I hurt myself for the first time (the beginning of) Covid and the rehabilitation process was a bit non -existent because the world closed. So I created a lot of scar fabric in those areas. And then in my thumb, I have a tutor.
“I attacked so hard this summer. I was able to see my old therapist. His name Mo; Shoutout Mo, is incredible. Take a little more movement in the wrist, in my hand, between my fingers. Take the dried fingers. … I just had to put the ball in the hole and then you guys can talk about it when I do it.”
Oubre had an out of season follow-up advice.
“In reality I saw the doctor who did it this summer, just to go further, let him know how I’m healed,” he said. “We thought of taking off the guardian from the thumb. But I will take it out, I will earn a little distance (of movement) but I will lose something on the back somewhere else. It is not really worth it. And in recent years, I have been able to compensate and my body does a good job adapting to less flexion and movement distance.
“I only understood, honestly. But with this range, I have to rewrite the models in my brain to shoot as before before all these things. I am just a Hooper, friend. I can’t wait to go out there and make it work. The triumph will certainly be better than adversities.”
Andre Drummond
Drummond had a quick relationship on the left wound which hindered him for most of last year.
“It was a beautiful summer for me,” said the big veteran. “I did all the things necessary to build the strength in my foot and are 100 % to go. I have a nice appearance during (out of season training) and I am ready.”
Drummond ventured into a new territory with its rehabilitation.
“Honestly, I didn’t know that something like feet yoga existed,” he said. “This summer I did a lot of top yoga to be really able to recover that force in the big toe, being able to move it freely without having to record it. … If you don’t know what it is, looking. It is certainly not a fun experience, but it worked for me.”
Eric Gordon
The 36 -year -old Gordon returned for a second season in Philadelphia. His first ended with a right wrist surgery.
“I would say a couple of months after the surgery, I was really able to shoot,” said Gordon. “So I was able to shoot all summer. Every time you have surgery, you will always have ups and downs, but so far everything has been good. I can’t wait to practice tomorrow without limits.”
Kyle Lowry
Lowry, 39 years old, spoke with great enthusiasm on Friday of the tutoring of the young people of Sixers such as VJ Edgecombe and McCain, who said they have a “purity” in their approach to sport.
As for the floor, the last season of Lowry has often been interrupted by a problem of the right hip. It improved during the summer.
“I feel very well,” he said. “I feel really good. I just think being able to be on the pitch to help these guys the best I can. But I know my role this year. So if I am necessary, I will be there, but my role is to help these guys. I would like to play 25, 30 minutes (by game), but this is not my role, it’s not my job.”