Is Joel Embiid playing?

That is the first question to ask before every Philadelphia 76ers game. Embiid, the 2022-23 NBA MVP, is a dominant presence on the court when healthy, but he has played only 64 total games in the two-plus seasons since, and played in just six of the 76ers' 12 games this season.

The 76ers have typically struggled with Embiid out of the lineup, but this season they seem to have built a team that can be competitive and productive whether Embiid is on the court or not. In the six games he has played, the team is 4-2 with a +2.8-point average scoring margin, but in the six he hasn't the team is still 3-3 with a +2.5-point margin. Paul George , the 76ers' big star acquisition last season, has yet to make his season debut this season but should do so soon.

As one

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