Joel Embiid may play Friday

Head coach Nick Nurse says there is “some chance” that Joel Embiid could take the floor in the Philadelphia 76ers’ final preseason matchup on Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, nothing has been finalized yet.

“I don’t think we’re there yet; it’s a little early in the week to decide,” Nurse said. “It still could go either way. I think we’ve got some thresholds to get over yet before we get to that point.”

Nurse also didn’t provide any confirmation about Embiid’s availability for the Sixers’ regular-season opener against the Boston Celtics on October 22.

Embiid recently took part in an intrasquad scrimmage on Sunday and was involved in parts of practice on Tuesday, signaling some level of progression in his return.

Still, the star center has not appeared in an official game since last February, making any potential return a closely watched development for Philadelphia.

Joel Embiid Has 'Some Chance' To Play In Final Preseason Game https://t.co/eaewOE1JcR

— RealGM (@RealGM) October 15, 2025