Joel Embiid’s season has been a rollercoaster ride. Knee pain, injuries, mystery illness—you name it, he’s dealt with it. Fans breathed a sigh of relief when he finally stepped onto the court at the United Center on Sunday. Early on, Embiid seemed a little off. But by the second quarter, he was back to his dominant self, pouring in 31 points against Zach LaVine and the Chicago Bulls. But here’s the kicker:

Is there something bigger lurking behind his injuries?

You can’t ignore certain situations, especially as the team’s centerpiece. It is no secret the Philadelphia 76ers’ HC Nick Nurse builds his plans with Joel Embiid in his mind. But to miss out on having him on the team — an absolute setback. Besides, NBA insider, Tim MacMahon’s latest revelations on Brian Windhorst’s The Hoop Collective will surely crease your eyebrows.

How long will Joel Embiid suffer from his knee issues?

Joel Embiid: Former NBA MVP, Olympic gold medalist, main man of the Philadelphia 76ers. Too many titles for a single person, but each one of them means something. The current headache is The Process and knee swelling concerns. Veteran NBA Insider Tim MacMahon sat with Brian Windhorst to analyze Philly’s game vs. the Bulls on Sunday. Of course, Embiid was the center of the conversation and the revelations made on the podcast were quite disheartening.

Windhorst first stated, “He had been playing and then didn’t play for three weeks.” MacMahon immediately reminded him it was “because it’s chronic swelling”. For someone who can be a threat to the opponents and can single-handedly snatch a win has to sit out. Why? Because his knee doesn’t seem to have a desire to heal! Talk about frustration!

The NBA insider continued, “Which is, yes, to me, maybe even more concerning than if there was a new injury, because of the chronic swelling. Like, it’s probably something he’s gonna have to deal with, certainly, the rest of this season, maybe the rest of his career, is, like, he legitimately does not know when he’s gonna be able to play.” Here’s the catch, it’s a health woe Embiid has to live for the rest of the season or the rest of his career. Simply put, staying on the court for longer stretches will most likely become a distant dream.

“I mean, it is a day-to-day thing. How often he’s gonna be able to play? And this is the guy that everything is built around, that’s, it’s a really tough foundation to try to build and continue.” With that, Tim MacMahon concluded his thoughts. But what he revealed is nowhere close to the assurance of Joel Embiid’s floor minutes. This means the 76ers sadly won’t be able to blindly rely on Embiid’s services. They need to sort out a backup plan.

We’ve already seen his struggles in the initial stretch of the 2024/25 NBA Season. However, there aren’t any guarantees when these tough times will end, that is, if they end. Besides, this absent period and Philadelphia’s catastrophic season took a toll on the 31-year-old’s overall emotional well-being. That’s yet another miserable thing to know, given how much Joel Embiid can do for his team.

The Process is trying to figure out his swelling situation

Embiid’s season took an unexpected turn, as a combination of injury setbacks and a suspension kept him off the court for the first nine games. Just when fans thought his return was near, he played briefly in a four-game stretch before being sidelined again. This time, swelling in his left knee and personal matters added more uncertainty to his comeback.

When asked about the past few months, he responded to Bontemps with a hint of frustration. Embiid said: “It’s been tough. Just trying to make sense of it all. No injuries, just dealing with the swelling… we’ve got to get to the bottom of this. That’s all there is to it.”

Joel Embiid’s return on Sunday reunited him with Tyrese Maxey and Paul George. The trio had only shared the floor for six minutes earlier this season because of injuries. In their 26 minutes together on Sunday, Philadelphia outscored Chicago by 14 points.

The Process’s comeback on the floor was nothing less than a celebration. The Embiid-Maxey-PG trio proved that if the roster is healthy and consistent, winning games would be a cakewalk. However, with the latest revelations, concerns will pent up for Joel’s fans.

Nonetheless, all we can hope for now is to see more of a fit Joel Embiid, who is the rightful 7x NBA All-Star and former MVP.