Joel Embiid and Paul George are still not ready to play for the Philadelphia 76ers this season, and Nick Nurse doesn’t really want to talk about it.
However, the NBA fined the team $100,000 on Tuesday afternoon for public statements about Embiid’s health status. The punishment was imposed after an investigation into the team regarding Embiid’s status began after he missed their season opener earlier this month. The investigation confirmed that Embiid was unable to play in that game, according to the league.
The 76ers head coach largely shut down questions about the two stars’ health on Tuesday after ruling them both out of Wednesday’s game with the Detroit Pistons. Both Embiid and George are dealing with knee injuries and have yet to appear in court this season.
While both players participated in portions of practice Tuesday, Nurse ruled them both out of Wednesday’s game at the Wells Fargo Center. However, Nurse did not elaborate on when they could make their season debut.
“We want these guys to play and we want them to be healthy and we want them to play great, and we want them to play great all season long,” Nurse said. “Then my main focus is: I have to do the work that I have to do. I have to try to get this team to play the best I can tomorrow night. That takes a lot of my focus and whatever… I just try to concentrate on my work.”
Embiid has been held out of the season for what the 76ers call left knee management. He played just 39 games last season due to knee injuries, but he returned in time for the playoffs and played with Team USA in their gold medal at the Paris Olympics this summer.
Embiid also said he lost more than 25 pounds this past season in an effort to stay healthy and take the stress off his knees. It is unclear what exactly is holding him back with his knee. Embiid also received a technical foul on Monday for waving a towel near their bench in the final moments of their overtime win against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.
The league also opened an investigation into the team’s handling of his injury, although the investigation found that the 76ers had not violated the player participation policy. The team continued to make statements that were “contrary” to Embiid’s health status, the NBA said, leading to the fine.
George, who signed a four-year, $212 million contract to join the 76ers last offseason, has been dealing with a bone bruise in his knee after going down during a preseason game. He has not suffered any structural damage to his knee, but it is unclear when he can appear in court.
The 76ers, who have a 1-2 record, will host the Piston on Wednesday and the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday. They then head on a three-game road trip up the West Coast next week.
Based on Nurse’s latest comments, it’s still a mystery when Embiid and George will be ready to play for the 76ers.