The Sixers, on Joel Embiid's health: "He is.."

Joel Embiid is facing the 2026-27 season with renewed motivation. The Philadelphia 76ers center is healthy and, according to Mike Gansey, the team's basketball operations president, he is ready to embark on the new season with great enthusiasm after a particularly significant summer for the team.

"Joel is great. I think this is the first summer in a long time where he has been healthy," explained Gansey in an interview with ESPN. The executive emphasized that Embiid has been able to work normally, lifting weights and training in the gym, something he considers especially positive after the physical issues that have impacted his recent seasons.

"He is very motivated. He wants to play many games and is excited about the group we have built now," added Gansey.

Embiid's physical condition will be one of the main issues Philadelphia will have to manage during the season. The former NBA MVP played only 38 regular-season games in the 2025-26 campaign and has just 96 games over the last three seasons. Additionally, he has not played more than 40 games since the 2022-23 season, when he won the MVP award.

Therefore, the Sixers have not yet set a specific number of games Embiid will play during the upcoming season. Gansey explained that the franchise will wait to see the schedule before sitting down with the player, the coaching staff, and the performance team to design the most appropriate plan.

"These players want to play every game, but we have to organize and see what is best for him and the team," he pointed out.

A Summer That Changed Everything

Embiid's recovery comes at an especially exciting time for Philadelphia. The franchise made one of the biggest moves of the summer by acquiring Jaylen Brown in a trade with the Boston Celtics and later convincing LeBron James to choose the Sixers in free agency.

Philadelphia sent Paul George to Boston along with two first-round draft picks and two second-round picks in exchange for Brown. Shortly after, James surprised the NBA by selecting Philadelphia as his new destination.

The arrival of the four-time NBA champion adds extra appeal for Embiid. In fact, according to Rich Paul, James' agent and CEO of Klutch Sports Group, LeBron himself spoke with the center during the process to firsthand understand his physical condition.

Gansey also recalled reviewing videos of Embiid and James playing together for Team USA during the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, where they both won the gold medal. His conclusion was positive: he believes both players worked "quite, quite well together."

Now, however, they will have to translate that experience into the daily life of the Sixers.

A Team with Talent to Spare

Nick Nurse will face the challenge of assembling a lineup with enormous offensive capabilities. The projected lineup includes LeBron James, Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown, and Joel Embiid.

Gansey believes a significant exercise in sacrifice will be necessary from all players. The abundance of talent available means that anyone can become the standout player on any given night.

"On any given night, anyone can be the main player," he asserted.

The Sixers' executive also wanted to make it clear that the arrivals of James and Brown do not diminish Embiid's importance within the project. On the contrary, he believes the Cameroonian will remain a key piece.

"Joel is possibly the most talented center I have been around. He will be a huge piece for our success. We have LeBron and Jaylen, but Joel will be as important as them," he affirmed.

The key will be precisely in ensuring all these players find their space. James has been accustomed for much of his career to taking on a significant workload. The same occurred with Brown last season when Jayson Tatum was out.

Maxey and Edgecombe, on their part, also had to shoulder more responsibility during periods when Embiid was unavailable.

"They have all been used to that during their careers, but I believe that when they are together, in training camp and in practices, they will all benefit from each other," Gansey explained.

For Philadelphia, the great challenge will be to turn that talent into a balanced and competitive team. And for that, getting a healthy Embiid back may be as crucial as the additions of LeBron and Brown. The center is ready to start a new chapter and, after a different summer, he approaches the season with a motivation that the Sixers hope to carry onto the court.

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