76ers 3 Thoughts: Embiid’s Improved Health, Philly Back to Full Strength

The Philadelphia 76ers appear to have turned a corner over the past several weeks. Joel Embiid is consistently on the court and playing at a high level. After being hampered by numerous injuries, the Sixers are as healthy as they have been in two years. The Sixers’ improved health is leading to their best stretch of basketball this season.

Has Embiid Turned a Corner Physically?

The past several years have seen Embiid reach the highs of winning an MVP award for the 2022-23 season to hitting what felt like rock bottom after knee injuries limited him to just 19 games last season. The first month or two of this season felt no different. After playing in four of the team’s first five games, Embiid then played in only seven of the next 21 games. He appeared well on track to have another injury-riddled season.

However, Embiid turned a corner on the health front over the past few weeks. He played in eight of the Sixers’ last nine games, and his production steadily increased. During that recent stretch of games, Embiid is averaging 27.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.3 blocks per contest.

In addition to his increased production, Embiid is showing signs of having improved mobility and comfort when out of the floor. He is slowly starting to add the dunk back to his scoring arsenal. The 31-year old attempted two dunks, including his patented self-oop off the backboard, against the Memphis Grizzlies. While neither went in, his comfort and willingness to attempt those types of plays was noticeable. A few games later, Embiid made his first dunk of the season in garbage time against the New York Knicks.

.@JoelEmbiid‘s reaction after his first dunk of the year is pure gold. 😁 pic.twitter.com/YwN3BS6MyL

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) January 4, 2026

Embiid has made three more dunks over the last several games. The dunks, in and off themselves, do not mean much. However, his ability and willingness to start dunking the basketball is a sign of his overall increased confidence and improved physicality.

The past three weeks have gone about as well as anyone could have expected for Embiid. He is consistently on the floor, something which should not be taken for granted. There is still a lot of season left. The Sixers have lofty championship aspirations that will require a healthy Embiid to be able to achieve. While it is great to see Embiid turn a corner in recent weeks, the question of his health come playoff time will continue to linger through the remainder of the season.

After Oubre, Watford’s Return, Sixers Are Finally Fully Healthy

Over the past several years, lengthy injury reports have become the norm for the Sixers. Injuries have impacted nearly every player on the roster at one time or another. Embiid and Paul George both spent large portions of the past two seasons out of action due to their respective knee injuries. Jared McCain was forced to miss multiple weeks to begin the season after suffering a UCL tear in his right thumb during a workout in late September.

The most recent casualties to the injury bug were Kelly Oubre Jr. and Trendon Watford. Oubre missed about eight weeks after spraining the LCL in his left knee against the Detroit Pistons in mid-November. Watford, who had been hampered by a hamstring injury, was out just over a month due to a left adductor strain. Both players returned to action on Jan. 7 against the Washington Wizards.

Philadelphia’s win over the Wizards marked the first time the team played with a fully healthy roster since Dec. 18, 2023, according to Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice. Head coach Nick Nurse has been no stranger to having to juggle the team’s rotation around due to various injuries. The game against the Wizards was just the 11th time out of the 199 games Nurse coached the Sixers that they had a fully available roster.

While Oubre and Watford are now available, Nurse has elected to ease both of them back into action. Oubre is averaging 17.5 minutes per game in his two games since returning. Watford played five minutes against Washington and did not see any action in the win over the Orlando Magic.

Assuming the rest of the roster stays healthy, Nurse has some decisions to make regarding his rotation once Oubre and Watford are back to their normal roles. Dominick Barlow has been filling in as the starting power forward, averaging 8.6 points and 5.0 rebounds in 24.9 minutes per game as a starter. Nurse could elect to have Oubre reclaim his starting small forward spot. In that case, George would slide up to power forward and Barlow would come off the bench. The other option would be to keep the starting lineup as is and utilize Oubre as the first man off the bench. With McCain struggling this season, using Oubre as a do-it-all energy player off the bench has some merit. However, Oubre returning to the starting group remains the most likely outcome once he is fully re-integrated into the rotation.

Grimes Bounces Back After Rough Stretch

One of the biggest reasons behind the Sixers’ improved play in recent weeks has been the consistent availability of Embiid and George. However, they are also receiving strong production from all throughout the roster.

Grimes, after slumping in the month of December, has bounced back over the past handful of games. He is averaging 13.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per game over his last five contests. In addition to his all-around production, Grimes has also improved his efficiency. Over that same stretch of games, he is shooting 53.7% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range.

The 25-year-old guard has thrived ever since being traded to the Sixers before last season’s trade deadline. His scoring punch and ability to defend multiple positions make him a valuable piece of Philadelphia’s rotation. While his long-term future with the Sixers is up in the air, he is largely continuing to play at a high level. Re-signing Grimes to a long-term extension should be amongst the team’s top priorities for this upcoming offseason.