Seasons continue to change, but the impression of the Philadelphia 76ers doesn’t. If you thought last year was bad, not much has changed. Joel Embiid went through another knee surgery, and so did Paul George. The injury bug seems tightly latched on around the organization. Patrick Beverley sees that to be the real killer.

“If you’re not healthy, it’s going to be tough to win at all in the NBA,” he says. Without the need to mention, it mainly depends on Embiid’s durability. The former MVP is still a doubt for training camp. Head coach Nick Nurse is “positive” about his progress. But the clock, that keeps ticking and thinning the 76ers’ chance at an NBA title.

They’ve tried to move pieces around to help. That didn’t work. Now it’s more of the same. However, despite Beverley having doubts about Joel Embiid’s ability to stay healthy, he doesn’t feel the 76ers should entertain trading their cornerstone and starting a rebuild.

“Oh, man. I don’t think you can ever trade Joel and be I don’t think you can ever trade him,” Embiid’s former teammate said on The Pat Bev podcast.

Embiid appeared in just 19 of the Philadelphia 76ers’ 82 regular-season games, missing a staggering 63 contests. His total playing time amounted to 574 minutes, averaging 30.2 minutes per game—a notable reduction from his typical workload as a perennial MVP candidate.
Worth mentioning, his production took a noticeable dip as well, like his minutes. He posted averages of 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game, with a field goal percentage of 44.4% and a three-point percentage of 29.9%.

A significant drop from his 2023-24 season, where he averaged a career-high 34.7 points per game. The decline in efficiency and output can be attributed to persistent knee issues, which not only limited his availability but also sapped his explosiveness and dominance as a two-way force. The team endured a nine-game losing streak around the time of his season-ending shutdown, highlighting how his limited presence hindered the 76ers’ competitiveness.

It’s easy to see why Beverley says that with his chest. Joel Embiid is that good, capable of single-handedly driving a team’s success. The only worry is his constant run-in with injuries. Even if he can stay on for the regular season, The Process is worn out by the time the postseason comes around. Udonis Haslem is open to offering help, but it’s unlikely that will actually happen.

Still, that hasn’t rattled the Philadelphia 76ers. Their stance is clear. They are being patient and allowing their dominant center to recover fully. But if those irregularities continue during the 2025-26 season, something needs to change for them.

Unfortunately, Patrick Beverley believes their star rookie could take the fall.

The Philadelphia 76ers could approach a nightmare

Out of the horrid season the 76ers had this past season, one good thing came out of it. Their poor regular-season record lifted them into the lottery, where they drafted VJ Edgecombe. The rising shooting guard has already represented the Bahamas and was a standout during his time at Baylor, leading the Big 12 in scoring.

Picking him at third revived some hope for the Philadelphia 76ers. Even if they tackle another injury-riddled season from Joel Embiid, they have the firepower to at least get to the postseason. But because time isn’t on their side, another season without a chip is another season of Embiid’s prime wasted.

Beverley has already said there’s no trading Embiid. Sadly, because of their vast backcourt depth, it leaves one of the guards to be sacrificed. The former Rockets guard feels it will be the rookie, even if he has a solid campaign.

“We have to see. It’s hard to kind of give your like you’re just due to your first year. I got to see it two years. I got to see 2-3 years. You feel me? But I like McCain. I ain’t let him go. I ain’t letting Tyrese Maxey go. So I guess there you go,” he admitted.

Tyrese Maxey is obviously the future of the Philadelphia 76ers. The volume scorer is coming off averaging over 25 points for a second consecutive season. Jared McCain tore his meniscus. However, it was the rookie’s playmaking and shooting prowess that brought some stability to the Philadelphia 76ers.

That leaves only VJ Edgecombe. However, it wouldn’t be advised for the 76ers to let him go, especially if he has a fantastic rookie season. Having played for the Bahamas, Edgecombe is among the few rookies to actually taste what it is like to play with the pros. And he was electric! The best way to keep their strength in the East is to develop him, because it adds depth and another potential star to the roster.

At this point, Joel Embiid can use anything to avoid putting himself through a physically challenging season. Do you think trading Edgecombe is a good idea? Let us know your views in the comments below.