The Philadelphia 76ers' high-profile veterans, Paul George and Joel Embiid, appeared to be trending in the right direction. A week before opening night against the Boston Celtics, they reportedly participated in most of the Sixers' practice. George had even progressed to partaking in three-on-three activities.
However, Philadelphia's head coach, Nick Nurse, recently shared that the nine-time All-Star is not expected to be ready for Wednesday's tilt at TD Garden.
While his knee injury is likely to sideline him, Embiid appears to be trending towards playing on opening night in Boston.
In a recent appearance on NBATV, veteran insider Chris Haynes reported, "it does look good" for the former league MVP being available opening night against the Celtics. However, he will be on "a tight schedule." The latter statement is likely to hold true throughout the upcoming campaign.
Could Joel Embiid make his preseason debut tomorrow night vs. the Timberwolves?@ChrisBHaynes reports the latest on his recovery 📣 pic.twitter.com/rfXXBFPstB
— NBA TV (@NBATV) October 17, 2025
So, while the 76ers are unlikely to have George in the lineup, it appears the hosts will have to grapple with Embiid. While it is a challenging task that includes the risk of players getting into foul trouble, Boston has the depth, including at center, to navigate that part of the equation.
Furthermore, as dominant as the two-time scoring champion can be, including on the offensive glass, he may help the Celtics capitalize on their intention of playing faster this season. If he can't keep up, especially in the first game of the 2025-26 campaign after dealing with a knee injury that cost him most of the previous season, it should help the hosts generate two-on-ones and transition baskets.
Perhaps Embiid's presence won't be as detrimental to Boston's success that night as one might envision. Of course, the Celtics are dealing with an injury of their own that would represent a greater obstacle to overcome.
Monitoring Jaylen Brown's status
The first frame of the Celtics' 110-108 win in their preseason finale over the Toronto Raptors brought a significantly concerning development. Jaylen Brown reached for his hamstring and had to sub out at the next dead ball. The training staff attended to him before he quickly went to the locker room.
"No update," said Joe Mazzulla after the victory. "He said he'll be fine, but I didn't get a full update."
The 2024 NBA Finals MVP has dealt with hamstring injuries in past years. It's an ailment that requires patience. The Celtics, like every team, would love nothing more than to get off to a fast start this season. However, a projected gap year from title contention should make it easier to err on the side of caution.
It will be interesting to see if a week to recover is enough time for Brown to be in Boston's opening night lineup or if his hamstring injury means the team will have to play without its best player at the start of the campaign.