The 2025-26 NBA schedule has been released, and things couldn’t be worse for the Philadelphia 76ers and their star, Joel Embiid.
With their schedule for next year, the Sixers are tied for the most back-to-back games in the NBA, with 16 across the entire season. That comes after last year, when Embiid said he would likely not play in back-to-back games for the remainder of his career.
That means a fully healthy Embiid, which remains unlikely, will miss at least 10% of their games in 2025-26.
Embiid appeared in just 19 games for Philadelphia last season. The year before, he played in just 39 games, coming off his MVP season in what was a historically dominant year. Embiid and the Sixers have yet to get past the second round of the playoffs in the decade he’s been with the team.
Sixers Schedule Is Bad For Embiid
In October 2024, Embiid said he would not play in back-to-back games going forward, after a string of injuries had held him out of action over the course of the past few seasons. He’s never played in more than 68 games in a season, and though when on the court, he’s extremely efficient, his health remains the biggest storyline of his career.
“If I had to guess, I would probably never play back-to-backs the rest of my career,” Embiid said early last season.
“We’re going to be smart about it,” Sixers general manager Daryl Morey added. “Part of being smart about it is having both Paul (George) and Joel probably not play many back-to-backs, if any.”
Embiid had arthroscopic knee surgery back in April, and his official health status for next year has yet to be confirmed. Morey said back in June that Embiid expects to be ready by the start of training camp, but that has yet to be confirmed by any official reports.
“Spoke to Joel today. He’s very engaged, attacking rehab,” Morey said. “Doing everything he can to be out there…Things are on track to be ready right around there (a return to training camp in September.”
Despite that, most recently, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse gave another update on the former MVP.
“All the news is positive,” Nurse said to talkSPORT in mid-August. “I know he’s working very, very hard, and I think things look good. Whether he’s ready for training camp or not, I think there’s maybe a lot more decisions than that to make before we get there. But our main thing is that he’s healthy to play and play to his best capabilities, because he’s awesome, no doubt about that.”
Maxey’s Team Going Forward
With Embiid and George expecting to miss time next year, Tyrese Maxey is the player who will take a leading role for the Sixers next season.
Ever since Embiid’s MVP season in 2023, Maxey has taken a big role for Philadelphia, elevating his offensive game to near the top ranks of the NBA. He made his first All-Star Game in 2024 and averaged a career-high 26.3 points per game last season. He struggled with multiple injuries last year, playing in just 52 total games, but his growth remains constant.
In a recent list of players who will be taking the last shot for their teams written by Bleacher Report, Maxey was named that player for the Sixers.
“With apologies to former MVP Joel Embiid and nine-time All-Star Paul George, this is Tyrese Maxey’s team in Philadelphia now,” Greg Swartz wrote. “The Sixers’ star guard averaged more fourth-quarter points than players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Donovan Mitchell, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and others and has showcased in the toughest environments that no moment is too big.”
He also mentioned that even with Embiid and George on the roster, Maxey is the ‘key‘ for the Sixers making a return to the postseason next year.
Along with Maxey and the continuously injured Embiid and George, Philadelphia has Jared McCain and rookie V.J. Edgecombe as two other young stars who have the chance to make a big impact for the team next year.
While Embiid might see limited action due to his injuries, the Sixers might slowly start to move away from him as their priority, bringing an end to the decade-long “Trust the Process” era.
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