With the 2025-26 NBA season just around the corner, the league’s media days began this week with the Philadelphia 76ers holding sessions on Friday.
Among those from the Sixers’ organization who spoke Friday were Paul George and Joel Embiid. George provided a status update on the injury he suffered during an offseason workout in July, confirming he will not be able to practice initially during 76ers training camp, being held Saturday and Sunday in Camden, New Jersey.
“I’m getting better and better,” George said. “I’m feeling stronger and stronger. I feel a lot better now than I did at this point last year.”
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George had a down year in his first with Philadelphia. In 41 games, George averaged just 16.2 points per game, which is one the lowest marks of his career. George’s season was cut short due to knee and groin injuries. The team shut him down in early March. George is a nine-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA and four-time All-Defensive team selection.
Embiid did not provide much in terms of when he may return to the court, according to Jeff Borzello of ESPN.
“There’s not necessarily an expectation. … The goal is to play consistently and not be in a position that we were last year,” Embiid told the media Friday.
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Embiid appeared in just 19 games for Philly last season, missing most of the year with a knee injury that required arthroscopic surgery in April. There is no current timetable set for the 31-year-old’s return. When Embiid did play last season, he averaged 23.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, his lowest numbers since his second active year in the NBA. Embiid missed his first two seasons after being drafted in 2014 due to a fracture in his foot. He didn’t debut for the 76ers until the 2016-17 season.
The third member of Philadelphia’s big three, Tyrese Maxey, also spent some time talking to the media on Friday. Maxey was asked about the team’s struggles last season and also talked about culture and the franchise moving in the right direction.
“I’ve never lost in my career,” Maxey explained. “It was good for me to go through that and become a better leader … this year we definitely plan on being better, and we’ve been working our tails off to be better.
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“I think the biggest thing that this team and this organization need to work on is ourselves … right now we’re just trying to find ways to get better every day, make sure the culture is right and make sure that we’re all stepping in the right direction.”
Maxey stepped into a bigger leadership role last season with Embiid and George sidelined. He set a new career high in points, averaging 26.3 a year after winning the league’s Most Improved Player award. However, despite Maxey’s overall improvement, he was only on the court for 52 games due to multiple injuries.
Philadelphia kicks off its NBA preseason schedule Oct. 2 with an international game against the New York Knicks in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The Sixers begin the regular season Oct. 22 against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden in Boston.
