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Joel Embiid Injury Update: 10/22/25 vs. the Celtics

Joel Embiid Injury Update: 10/22/25 vs. the Celtics

Basketball NBA

Published:

By: Alex Hunter

The 76ers are hopeful that star center Joel Embiid can play in the team’s regular season opener against the Celtics on Wednesday, Oct. 22, per ESPN’s Shams Charania. Meanwhile, Paul George (knee) is not expected to play.

Embiid played in 19 games last season due to ongoing issues with his knee and was lackluster by his standards when available. He averaged 23.8 points and 8.2 rebounds in 30.2 minutes per game. The prior two seasons, Embiid averaged over 30 points and 10 rebounds per game.

The former MVP hasn’t played since Feb. 22, and underwent knee surgery in April. If he’s at 100% on Wednesday, he should receive a hefty workload with George sidelined. Embiid posted a triple-double of 29 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in the one game he played without George last season.

Tyrese Maxey will also take on a big workload if George is sidelined. In the same aforementioned game, Maxey finished with 33 points and 13 assists. If Embiid and George are both out Wednesday, this would further increase Maxey’s usage. He would be an elite target for DFS. In the 17 starts Maxey made without both Embiid and George last season, Maxey led the 76ers with 29.1 PPG and a 32.7% usage rate.

With Embiid and George both dealing with injuries, Philadelphia is a 3.5-point road underdog vs. the Celtics on DraftKings Sportsbook.

Alex Hunter
Alex Hunter is an avid DFS player and sports handicapper, who has been a proud member of the DraftKings Network team since 2020. He is a data-driven analyst, who earned his bachelor’s degree in communications at Worcester State University and has been in the sports content business for nearly a decade, covering the NBA, NFL and PGA TOUR. Alex is a diehard Boston Celtics fan, who loves to be on the golf course when he isn’t grinding lineups or producing content. For all of Alex’s work or if you need any lineup advice, be sure to follow him @Hunta512 on X.
Disclaimer

I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is Hunta512) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.