CAMDEN, NJ – Joel Embiid and Paul George will each miss a fifth straight game with left knee injuries when the Philadelphia 76ers host Memphis on Saturday night.

The oft-injured Embiid has yet to play this season, though he was a full participant in Friday’s practice, including in 5-on-5 scrimmages. George, who has yet to play this season with a bone bruise on his left knee, also participated in full practice and competed with the Sixers.

Embiid skipped the entire preseason and hasn’t played basketball since helping Team USA win gold at the Paris Olympics.

During training camp in the Bahamas, Embiid discovered mild swelling in his surgically repaired left knee, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania. As part of the plan the 76ers and Embiid put in place this season, the swelling was discovered during a routine check-up and both parties managed and monitored the knee.

Sources said Friday was the first time Embiid completed a 5-on-5 scrimmage session with all of his teammates.

Embiid has prioritized his return once he feels fully comfortable with his left knee, and he appears to be close to making his season debut. He was limited to 39 games last season, mainly due to knee surgery after tearing the meniscus in his left knee on Jan. 30 against Golden State.

“Everyone was on the same page,” Embiid said at the 76ers complex in New Jersey. “If your body doesn’t respond right, and if your body tells you one thing (sit down). I did it. As far as I can tell you, I broke my face twice, I came back early with the I walk it risk losing my sight. I have broken fingers. When I see people saying, ‘He doesn’t want to play,’ I’ve done way too much for this city, putting myself in danger, for people to say that. “

Embiid’s absence from the season opener raised suspicions in the NBA, and the league fined the team $100,000 on Tuesday for public statements, including by president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and by coach Nick Nurse, that were inconsistent with its health status of Embiid and violated NBA rules. NBA rules such as the league’s player participation policy. However, it found that the participation policy had not been violated.

Embiid was the No. 3 pick in the 2014 draft but missed his first two full seasons due to injuries. Since his first full season in 2016, he has played in 433 of 805 regular season games and only 59 of 67 possible playoff games.

He sprained his right knee during the 2023 playoffs, costing him games against Brooklyn and Boston. He missed two second-round games in 2022 and another first-round match in 2021 with various injuries, on top of the two he missed to start the 2018 playoffs with an orbital fracture and another in 2019, also with a knee problem.

“I wish I was as lucky as others,” Embiid said. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not trying and I’m not doing whatever it takes to try to be here, which I will be doing soon.”

Embiid added that he has no regrets about playing in the Olympics. He could return for the Sixers’ three-game West Coast swing, which starts Monday against Phoenix.

“Really, it’s being comfortable, being confident,” Embiid said. “I want to be at my best. I don’t want to be in a situation where I’m afraid if I do something or anything I’ll get hurt again. I’ve mentioned it since my last surgery; mentally it was probably the hardest. Mentally I have to get that confidence back. In the past it was just easy.”

This report used information from The Associated Press.