Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. Have you seen some things about Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid’s last-second scratch in Denver over the weekend? Are you wondering why this is a big deal for the NBA and why everyone keeps talking about it? Don’t worry. We’re here to help.
The Philadelphia 76ers might find themselves in hot water soon.
Last Saturday in Denver was supposed to be a potential NBA Finals preview between Philadelphia and the reigning champion Denver Nuggets. The last two regular-season MVPs, Joel Embiid (2023) and Nikola Jokić (2021-2022) were at the center of the matchup. There was just one problem: Embiid was a last-minute scratch in what some see as a simmering controversy.
What the heck is going on here? What do the Nuggets and 76ers think? And what are the ramifications for the NBA? Let’s dive in.
What happened with Joel Embiid in the 76ers' latest visit to Denver?
In a regular-season context, the NBA had one of its more hyped matchups on paper slated for last Saturday afternoon in Denver. Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokić are the last two MVPs — who both play the same position — on two of the best teams in the league that very well could meet in this year’s NBA Finals. For all kinds of fans of the game, it should be an instant classic any time these two players and these two teams square off. Full stop.
After hurting a knee against the Indiana Pacers on the Thursday before, Embiid was not listed on the injury report, building up even more hype for this potential battle of basketball titans. Embiid has notably not played a game in Denver since November 2019. But after Embiid went through his warmups just before the first tip, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the 76ers’ superstar was now ruled out despite no previous indication he wasn’t healthy enough to play.
Denver went on to win 111-105 in a game that also didn’t feature the 76ers’ second and third-best players, Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris. However, Maxey (ankle) and Harris (illness) were both listed on the injury report.
Wait, Embiid wasn't on the injury report, but was ruled out anyway? Is that allowed?
Yes and no.
According to the NBA’s official rulebook for the 2023-2024 season, NBA teams must submit all relevant injury information by 5 p.m. local time on the day before a game, except in the circumstances of a back-to-back. If a player has any sort of ailment or reason for potentially sitting out their team’s next game, it must be listed at that time.
The 76ers, in this case, did not do this with Embiid, as he wasn’t listed on the injury report and sat out a nationally televised game near the last moment. Per ESPN, the NBA instituted new rules related to these kinds of situations in 2023, trying to prevent star players from sitting out marquee games with the idea of protecting fan interest, fan emotional investment, and the game’s product. Barring an injury listing in advance, the league mandated that stars must be available to play in primetime national matchups. These rules are officially designated as the Player Participation Policy and often colloquially referred to as “load management” rules — in light of previous controversy regarding household NBA names sitting out too many important games in the league’s eyes.
It is unclear where the 76ers and Embiid stand here, given that his knee injury appears to be legitimate, even though he was scratched without there being official documentation of him being hurt.
How has the NBA responded to this situation so far?
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Embiid was eventually listed on the 76ers’ injury report, but only 15 minutes before the game began. Prior to this, the expectation all day on Saturday was that Embiid would, in fact, play. Charania reports that he believes the league will review this situation accordingly, especially because of the late scratch.
It is unclear how the league will respond beyond any of its formal investigations.
According to the fine print of the load management provision, any teams who violate the resting policy and injury reporting mandates are subject to “fines that could rapidly exceed $1 million for repeat offenders.” A first violation would carry a $100,000 fine, and a second offense would mean a $250,000 fine, followed by $1 million per violation from there on in.
How did the Nuggets respond to Embiid's last-minute scratch? Did they know in advance?
According to The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando, head coach Mike Malone and the Nuggets learned Embiid would sit out their matchup at roughly the same time as everyone else. Malone professed that he expected the league to make some kind of investigation into what happened, particularly because of the load management rules and previous precedent.
Malone did not express any doubt about Embiid’s injury. He noted that the Nuggets knew Embiid hurt his knee against the Pacers. At the same time, Malone didn’t appreciate that he prepared his team to square off against one of the best players in the league only for him to be ruled out at the very last minute.
Doesn't Embiid have a history of injuries? Why would anyone be surprised at him sitting out?
Yes, Embiid has not enjoyed the fortune of good health throughout his NBA career. He sat out his first two seasons in Philadelphia related to complications with a broken foot suffered prior to the 2014 NBA Draft. These days, Embiid’s name is frequently listed on the 76ers’ injury reports, mainly related to issues with the seven-footer’s knees.
The center has played in just 33 of 45 games this year, largely in the interest of managing his health for a 76ers’ playoff run. Embiid has suffered some kind of injury (knee, concussion, torn thumb ligament) in each of the last six postseasons. Embiid has typically dominated the regular season on an individual basis, leading Philadelphia to one of the top seeds in the Eastern Conference, only to fade in the playoffs as his health declined. Much of his approach this year seems to be connected to avoiding that reality.
However, given that Embiid is one of the NBA’s faces, controversy bubbles up when a lot of the games he sits out are against other quality teams. In addition to missing Philadelphia’s road game in Denver, Embiid also sat out the 76ers’ initial visits to Houston, Orlando, Miami, Boston, and Minnesota this season. Notably, the visits to Houston, Orlando, and Miami were all during a stretch where he missed multiple games, as was the 76ers’ trip to Boston. Denver and Minnesota are the unconnected one-offs where Embiid did not miss prior time for Philadelphia.
With all of that said, the problem the 76ers face with this Embiid controversy in Denver is not that he sat out. It’s that he wasn’t listed on the injury report at all, giving little notice of an absence in a big game.
Hold on. If Embiid has been managing an injury all year, whose idea was it to leave him off the injury report?
Well, dearest reader, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, it seems Embiid himself was the one who pushed for this designation in Denver. He reportedly “fully intended to play” before the 76ers’ medical staff determined it wouldn’t be the best idea to push it after watching him in warmups where he apparently couldn’t even jump. Philadelphia head coach Nick Nurse professed that it was an injury the team became concerned with about 20 minutes before the game.
Why the 76ers’ medical staff would let Embiid have his wishes instead of at least listing him as questionable on the injury report, just in case — knowing there are statutes like proper injury reporting and the Player Participation Policy in place — is anyone’s best guess.
Is Embiid's new injury connected to another string of absences?
Unfortunately for the 76ers, yes.
According to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the 76ers ruled out Embiid for a visit to the lowly Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night due to complications with his knee. The 76ers lost 130-104 as the Western Conference’s second-worst team cruised to an easy win.
Philadelphia visits the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night in a nationally televised matchup on TNT. Per Adrian Wojnarowski, Embiid is listed as questionable and is expected to go through warmups.
Will Embiid's availability affect his standing in the MVP race?
Absolutely. It’s not even a question if he continues to miss games through the second half of the regular season.
One of the other provisions under the Player Participation Policy is connected to end-season awards. Per USA Today, NBA players must appear in at least 65 games to be considered for any league award or honor, such as MVP or making an All-NBA team. At the time of this writing, Embiid can only miss six more games before he’s officially ruled out of the MVP race. This is an additional incentive to try to push players and stars to be as available as possible. Some have touted consistent availability as a key trait of an MVP-caliber player, making the NBA’s award “safeguard” a welcome addition to some league circles.
According to ESPN, Embiid has recently maintained he does not care if he misses so many games that it takes him out of the running for MVP.
“‘It doesn’t matter how many games I play; the goal is to be healthy the rest of the year,’ Embiid said Monday.”
In Embiid’s potential absence from the race, Jokić and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander would likely be considered the frontrunners for MVP.
Alright, c'mon. Why is it such a big deal that an NBA player like Embiid, with a history of injuries, occasionally sits now and then?
Again, it’s not necessarily that Embiid’s sitting out. If he’s hurt, he’s hurt. There’s nothing the league can or should do. It’s how his injury was reported amidst what appears to be a tenuous time for the league.
Per Sports Media Watch, NBA regular-season TV ratings haven’t really changed much in two decades. The charitable interpretation is that the league maintains a relatively consistent fan interest in its product. The pessimistic view is that the league’s audience growth has seemingly come to a slow crawl. Not to mention that, per Forbes, the NBA’s current TV deal with its primary broadcast partners in ESPN/ABC and TNT expires at the end of the 2024-2025 season. It stands to reason that if stars continue missing games and regular-season viewership numbers don’t meaningfully progress, then there will be less money offered for the league’s broadcast rights in the contract. Needless to say, that would not bode well for the NBA’s long-term health.
Of course, a lot of this could potentially be connected to struggles with selling a new generation of superstars. While Steph Curry and LeBron James are still in the league, they are far from the trendsetters they used to be. They are no longer the gold standard. The NBA’s current crop of best players, in no particular order, arguably consists of Jokić, Embiid, Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Luka Dončić. But the transition to their reign doesn’t seem complete yet — at least if you ask how the casual fan views the NBA.
None of this is Embiid’s fault for managing his health. And the 76ers also don’t owe anyone for trying to protect their franchise player in the pursuit of a championship. But it is incidents like this that arguably help make Embiid one of the poster boys in the league’s seeming stagnancy.
The most optimal way for the league to sell its “new” top superstars during the regular season is with top matchups. Any stars sitting out or any miscommunication in injury reports is a detriment to fans trying to buy into the league’s new era of players first and foremost. There’s a reason things like the In-Season Tournament were created — to drum up fresh interest in the NBA. Because if you give people the opportunity, then they will assuredly find something else to do rather than waste their time with a league that feels desperate for growth and answers.
