Joel Embiid a Full Participant at Practice for Second Day in a Row

The long local nightmare might not be over, but things seem to be trending in the right direction for Joel Embiid.

The Sixers had Monday and Tuesday off after Embiid led Philadelphia with 31 points and 12 rebounds in 33 minutes of play in Sunday's road victory over the Chicago Bulls.

The defining trend of the Sixers' disastrous start to the season has been the unknown. They are living day-to-day with the health of Embiid's left knee. He may wake up one morning and feel great. He may wake up the next morning and not feel as well. Whether they say it in so many words or not, the situation is essentially a shoulder shrug.

But, the hope is that they can settle on a treatment regimen that limits the time Embiid misses between games because the knee isn't feeling satisfactory.

Every day Embiid can step on the court for either a game or a full practice is a sign that the Sixers are going down the right road. The big guy was a full participant in yesterday's practice, the first since Sunday's win:

Nick Nurse said Joel Embiid went through the full practice today and his body has responded well since playing 33 minutes on Sunday vs. Chicago

— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) December 11, 2024

OK. How about two days in a row?

Joel Embiid was a full participant in practice again today. Caleb Martin and Adem Bona were the only players not to participate today.

— Paul Hudrick (@PaulHudrick) December 12, 2024

That's as encouraging a sign for Embiid and the Sixers as there's been all season. Not that he practiced two days in a row, but that the knee responded to the load in Chicago well enough for him to be a full participant in those two practices.

We'll see if the Sixers star shows up on the injury report this evening ahead of Friday's home game against the Indiana Pacers. But, for now, everything seems to be coming up Milhouse.