Whatever the Philadelphia 76ers build in 2024-25 will be immediately restructured once Joel Embiid returns to the rotation. It is the quietly haunting truth that will hang like a cloud over Philadelphia’s head.
In some ways, sustainable progress can still be made, but the 76ers are essentially in a holding pattern until one of the most dominant players in the NBA returns.
Embiid underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on April 11, officially ending one of the most frustrating seasons of his career. He played in just 19 games for the 76ers, continuing a concerning trend after playing just 39 games in 2023-24.
With 58 games played since winning his first career MVP award in 2022-23, Embiid has become both a question mark and a force of nature.
Philadelphia overcame his absence in 2023-24, winning 47 games behind Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris and Kelly Oubre Jr., all of whom made at least 68 appearances. However, no one was safe from the injury bug in 2024-2025 as Ricky Council IV and Guerschon Yabusele were the only players to appear in more than 60 games.
With Council and Yabusele signing elsewhere and the uncertainty surrounding currently healthy players, the 76ers need to create roles that will immediately change once Embiid returns.
76ers will have to change the roles of key players once Joel Embiid returns
Embiid is an adaptable player whose skill set allows him to complement a variety of players and playstyles. However, the inherent truth of him being on the pitch is that he will force a significant number of touches – and everyone around him will have to adapt to his high-usage approach.
Embiid has posted a usage rate of 34.2 or higher in each of the past five seasons, and it exceeded 37.0 in every campaign between 2021-22 and 2023-24.
As such, whatever the healthy contributors can show without Embiid will have to be adapted to a system focused on getting him the ball. It has been proven in the past that players can excel in such an environment, whether they are a star or not.
That’s true on every front, from Tobias Harris, Tyrese Maxey and Ben Simmons to Robert Covington, Shake Milton and JJ Redick.
However, the 76ers have undergone drastic changes over the past two years and a large majority of the players on the current roster have little to no experience playing alongside Embiid. That includes nine-time All-Star Paul George, breakout wing Quentin Grimes and lottery pick VJ Edgecombe.
So without a timetable for his return, the process of building around Embiid is complicated by the simple fact that the healthy players will develop chemistry and then completely restructure their approach.
The optimistic view is that the 76ers will have a unique opportunity to discover the strengths and weaknesses of their players with an inevitable increase in volume. However, the harsh reality remains that a player who excels with more touches may not experience the same success once Embiid returns.
That makes Embiid’s return date and the 2026 NBA trade deadline the two events that will define yet another 76ers season.
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