The last image of Joel Embiid playing with the 76ers was him gritting his way through Bell’s palsy and the aftereffects of a left knee injury. He played 40 minutes in Game 6 of the first-round matchup last season against the New York Knicks despite being clearly limited.

The NBA season is about three weeks old and now is the time for the third edition of the power rankings for the 2024-25 season. The league has seen its fair share of surprises and disappointments to begin the season and now is the time to see where each team stacks up.

Joel Embiid has had a controversial start to the 2024-25 NBA season without playing a game. Here's what happened and why he's on the cusp of returning.