Jan 4, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) looks on during the first half against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
CAMDEN - The pile of injuries threatening to sink the Sixers' season produces interesting contrasts in perspective up and down the roster.
For Eric Gordon, the sharpshooter who accepted a veteran minimum deal early in free agency this past July, didn't expect to come to Philadelphia and play for a team that is trying to keep the Play-In tournament in sight.
The disappointment would be frustrating for any athlete in the twilight of their career.
"For sure, but a lot of things just don't happen overnight or maybe even in one year. It's hard to just put a team together and expect to win right away," Gordon told reporters at Friday's practice.
"But, we have a talented group. Once we're all healthy, we're pretty good. But, until we can get all healthy, it's hard to grasp on a lot."
Gordon is trying to keep the bigger picture in mind, even if the bigger picture is staring his team in the face as they begin a brutal 15-game stretch on which they are already 0-2.
While Gordon is talking like a veteran trying to help keep everyone in the boat as the waters roughen, rookie Justin Edwards is clinging onto the qualities that his coaches see in him. He's treating the slew of injuries as an unusual opportunity, just as Tyrese Maxey said he should.
"I want whoever's out there to take the opportunity and don't take it for granted because it doesn't always come around like that in the NBA. Not the whole team, 6-7 guys, out. That's not every team," the star guard said after the Sixers' loss to the New York Knicks on Wednesday night.
"So, if we didn't have guys out, we don't know what Justin [Edwards] would be doing. So, just every single night, I want guys to take advantage of the opportunity."
While the fans are suffering and the product deteriorates, Edwards views the injuries as a unique head start on the job with which he'll be tasked as he ages and earns trust.
"I feel like I can always do something better. What I take away from it is just that the coach is telling me to guard the best player," Edwards said on Friday of what he took away from back-to-back impressive showings this week.
"So, I'm going to just continue to work on that and take it as a compliment."
It's an expected contrast in perspectives between a veteran closer to his NBA end than start and a youngster begging to establish himself.
Gordon was the first representative of the team to talk publicly in the wake of the latest discouraging update on Joel Embiid:
Joel Embiid participated in an on-court workout yesterday after missing the last six games due to a left foot sprain. While the foot sprain has healed, Embiid experienced an increase in swelling in his left knee following the workout. After consulting with team medical staff and external doctors, Embiid will receive treatment in the coming days to address the swelling. As a result, he will be OUT for the upcoming road trip and re-evaluated in approximately 7-10 days.
That statement popped into the email inboxes of reporters around the country at 11:41 a.m., Eastern time.
That timeline suggests that Embiid will miss, at minimum, 3-5 more games. He's already missed the team's last six games with a sprained foot suffered on Christmas Day.
He, Maxey and Paul George have played 10 games together. Lineups featuring the trio have outscored opponents by 5.4 points per 100 possessions in just 404 possessions, per Cleaning The Glass.
That's a good number. Extremely limited sample size. But, a good number. A number that an analytics-minded braintrust might talk itself into justifying staying the course on this season instead of prioritizing keeping their first-round pick in the 2025 draft.
Still, the amount of time they haven't played together is going to continue to pile up. They're way behind their potential playoff foes - should they even be so lucky to get invited to the postseason tournament - in chemistry. At this point, there's no making up that ground.
"I mean, very important. It's all about chemistry, chemistry on the court. Because it's all about understanding each other's games and trying to do what's best for one another," Gordon said of the importance of chemistry among the team's core players.
"So, like I said, it takes time. Can't just throw a team together and expect to win all the time. But, we do have a talented group. Along the way, we can figure that out."
The talent might be there. The chemistry almost certainly will not be. Embiid's health very well might not be, either.
Nick Nurse does not believe that there was any issue with Embiid's knee leading up to the practice mentioned in the team's statement.
"I think it's just the same. He plays, we always got to see how it reacts the next day - whether it's practice or a workout or a game. That's it," the head coach said at Friday's practice.
Nick Nurse with some clarity as to when Joel Embiid’s knee swelling returned and whether there’s been any talk of just shutting him down for the season:@NBAKrell pic.twitter.com/1o1p1Q6El4
The pattern seems to be that Embiid misses extended time due to [injury], practices to ramp up for a return to game action, the knee swells up and he misses more time to manage the ailing knee. In other words, he misses time due to injury, and then he misses time because he missed time.
It's a brutal experience for him. It's a brutal experience for everyone involved. But, at least to Nurse's knowledge, there's no plan to concede the season.
"Not at this point, that I've been told. No," he said of whether there's any talk about shutting Embiid down for the remainder of the 2024-25 campaign.
Say what you will about Embiid. Say what you will about his priorities in light of going through with his commitment to Team USA last summer despite ostensibly knowing his knee's condition. The guy isn't sitting there enjoying this. His lack of availability for the only NBA franchise he's ever known wears on him.
"Yeah, listen, I think he still remains...fairly...positive. It's not hard to talk to him or whatever. I think he does want to play. I think he saw some of the ability our team could have there in a run when he was playing well and some other guys were out there, too," Nurse said of Embiid's emotional/mental state.
"But, I think it wears on him, that it's a continual battle. He just wants it to feel better and play for long stretches, like we all do."
With or without the big guy, Nurse has a job to do. In the back of his mind, he's aware that the engine pushing his ship might be out of order for the foreseeable future. But, it's on him to try to find other means of keeping the boat moving.
Nurse says he focuses on who he has at his disposal for the next game. He doesn't get bogged down in the emotions or tactics that come with assuming Embiid won't be stepping back on the court for the foreseeable future. "How in the hell are we going to win tomorrow night?", his brain ponders most of the time.
It's not just about preparing the product on the court. It's about keeping his crew in the boat. Even when the external conditions could threaten unrest.
"I'm sure you have the same days, too, where you just don't feel like...'Dammit, I'd rather not have to go practice'. But, you know, you got to snap out of it and walk out on the floor and zip up your zipper and get ready to go, man," Nurse said.
"Staying positive is a big key...for all of us."
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