PHOENIX – Nick Nurse knows one of his immediate jobs as 76ers coach is to get Joel Embiid to focus on basketball.

That effort is part of the reason Nurse spoke with Embiid on Sunday, a day after the franchise player physically confronted and pushed Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes in the Sixers locker room at the Wells Fargo Center.

The NBA is investigating the incident involving Embiid and Hayes. And while the 6-foot-1, 280-pounder has his left knee injury under control and is working to get healthy enough to play, Embiid’s availability could also depend on the results of the league’s findings and final decision.

» READ MORE: Joel Embiid strikes and shoves Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes during locker room altercation

“As always, the first thing I did was ask him how he was feeling and try to get him involved in what we were doing,” Nurse said of his conversation with Embiid. “I’m concerned about getting him on the floor, making sure he understands who he’s playing with, what they’re doing, what all that stuff looks like. We were able to get him to do more of that work today.

“Yes, I think playing will help him. Yes, I think it will help him concentrate.’

Embiid is on the Sixers’ three-game road trip but will not make his season debut Monday night against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center. However, the 2023 MVP practiced with his teammates at Arizona State University’s Weatherup Center on Sunday evening.

After the confrontation with the Suns, the Sixers (1-4) travel to Los Angeles on Tuesday. They play the Clippers on Wednesday at Intuit Dome and stay in town to play the Lakers on Friday at Crypto.com Arena.

When asked if he expects Embiid to play on this trip, Nurse said, “Well, I think we’re back there and taking steps in the right direction again.”

But the coach added: “I probably wouldn’t be surprised either way.”

Embiid looked good during post-practice shooting drills at ASU.

» READ MORE: Sixers, looking to get on track with the expected return of Paul George, will embark on an arduous journey up the West Coast

The 30-year-old underwent surgery in February to repair the torn cartilage in his left knee. After missing 29 games, Embiid returned on April 2 and played five games for the playoffs. Embiid was bothered by the knee in the opening round playoff series against the New York Knicks. Still, he chose to play for Team USA in the Olympics, where he won a gold medal, rather than rest his knee.

There was speculation that he had suffered a setback during the Olympics, causing him to miss the entire preseason and at least the first six regular season games. However, Embiid has denied any setbacks that led to him being sidelined.