Is Embiid back today? The answer is no. After playing against the Nets on Jan. 5, Embiid began to recover from an injury without warning, and fans weren't even sure if he was resting or if he was actually injured.

Until today, the 76ers announced that Embiid suffered from swelling in his left knee and will be re-examined in the next 7-10 days. I pinched my fingers, the 76ers played the Lakers on the 29th of this month, which is almost the day of Embiid's comeback.

Embiid has played in just 13 games this season, with injuries ranging from a sprained left foot, swollen knee, left knee injury management, a broken nose, and a three-game ban for pushing media personnel.

It can be said that whether on or off the court, Embiid has ushered in a low point in his career. Before the start of the season, he publicly stated that he would not play back-to-back, make enemies on all sides, and push reporters to bring his reputation with the media to the bottom.

He made his season debut on Nov. 13, and as a result, Embiid shot 3-of-23 from three-point range in the first five games of the season. It's true that he hasn't played back-to-back games so far this season, and he has rarely played two games in a row, and he has to rest for a few days if he plays a game, and if he has a bit of an injury, he will rest for a week like he is now.

So I've always been partial to Embiid, but in fact, I rarely write about his game status this season, because the sample is too small, and it's not easy to evaluate whether he plays well or poorly. But overall, Embiid's form is declining, there's no doubt about that.

In 13 games, Embiid averaged 24.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1 block in 29.4 minutes per game. His 45.2 percent shooting percentage was a career-low and lower than in his rookie season and lower than Jokic's three-point shooting this season.

The once stable one-hand distance jumper is now gone, and the frequency of the basket that used to be able to show off occasionally is also declining sharply. The style of play that was not accepted by the fans has now become even uglier.

Embiid is all but certain to have a season that doesn't end up with a championship and certainly no ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals. There is no MVP, no All-Star team, no All-Star. Of course, Embiid's salary this season, aside from the three-game ban fine, will still go into his pocket.

Embiid is not in good shape and doesn't play much, and although George's attendance rate is higher, the state is also difficult to describe. His season-to-season average of 17.2 points per game is the lowest since George's third season in his career. No one expected George, who got a big contract, to go downhill almost at the same time.

The 76ers, who swore before the start of the season, quickly became the laughing stock of the league after the season began. After a brief Northern Expedition recently, the 76ers suffered another wave of four straight defeats, and the Pelicans couldn't beat them. The 76ers are now 11th in the East at 15-24, just outside the play-in tournament and two wins away from 10th.

Even if the 76ers start the Northern Expedition in the second half of the season, it may be difficult for the 76ers to escape the fate of playing the play-offs. Even if you are lucky enough to make the playoffs, I am afraid it will be the end of a round. So now the 76ers have a choice in front of them, whether to give up on this season altogether or to push forward.

An important prerequisite is that the 76ers' 2025 first-round pick is in the hands of the Thunder, protected by the 1-6 pick. That is to say, if this pick ends up being the top six picks, then it is still 76ers. If it's after the sixth pick, it belongs to the Thunder.

One of the embarrassing things is that the 76ers now have the eighth-to-last record in the league, and the probability of this ranking being drawn to the top six is very small. Most of the teams behind the 76ers are deliberately bad teams. For example, the Western "Three Heroes" Trailblazers, Jazz and Pelicans, even if the Pelicans don't have the intention of being bad, they still have the fact that they are rotten.

Another example is the "Three Heroes" Wizards, Raptors and Hornets in the East, all of which are games that can be won, and they will definitely win, but they really can't win too much. As for the Nets, who are now only two wins away from the 76ers, they will definitely go all out in the second half of the season, and whoever plays well will be DNP.

The 76ers are now in a dilemma, it is difficult to improve, it is not easy to regress, and the worst situation is that they did not enter the play-offs, and then the draw did not draw the top six picks, which cheapened the Thunder in vain.

So the 76ers are almost at the point where they have to make a decision, because the trade deadline is in early February. Whether they choose to strengthen or choose to swing is a matter of action on the trade deadline. Yabusele, who only has a one-year contract, Oubre and Zhuang Shen, who have player options next season, are all potential trade partners.

I think it's better to be the first team to prepare for the '25-26 season than to pin your hopes on Embiid's knees. George and Embiid still have a long contract, and they still have a long time to go.