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Joel Embiid returns (sort of)
Joel Embiid’s participation in Philadelphia’s open scrimmage on Sunday was a huge development. The Sixers, as they often are, have been light on Embiid health updates. But seeing Embiid move around in five-on-five action offered real evidence that the ex-MVP, who has not played since last February, is making real progress recovering from offseason knee surgery.
Will he play in the 76ers’ opener? Sixers coach Nick Nurse said there was a chance Embiid will play in Philadelphia’s preseason finale on Friday, which would be another positive step. As Philly’s injuries have racked up—Paul George remains out while Jared McCain will miss time recovering from hand surgery—the need for Embiid has never been greater. And—finally—there is optimism around his return.
Dylan Harper’s stock surge
While league observers have spent months (rightly) lavishing praise on Cooper Flagg, folks in San Antonio have been quietly fist pumping down the Riverwalk. That’s because while Dallas may have found its next franchise player in Flagg, the Spurs believe they have snagged another one in Dylan Harper.
Harper, the 19-year-old ex-Rutgers star, has reinforced that belief with a strong preseason. He scored nine points in 18 minutes Friday against Utah. He followed that up Monday with an 11-point, eight-assist effort in 22 minutes against Indiana. Harper has an explosive first step and is already strong enough to finish in traffic. San Antonio’s backcourt is deep: De’Aaron Fox, who signed a reported four-year, $229 million extension last summer, and Stephon Castle, the reigning Rookie of the Year. Both will carry heavy workloads this season. Harper, though, looks ready to take on some of it.
A Beantown beatdown
And in case you missed it, Tuesday’s viral moment came courtesy of Taylor Snow, the Celtics’ in-house reporter who posted a short clip of the end of a scrimmage between members of Boston’s media corps and the Celtics’ coaching staff. The video showed God Shammgod Jr., a player development coach, drilling a buzzer-beating three before panning to the scoreboard, which flashed the hilarious final score: 57–4.
Celtics Coaches vs. Celtics Media
— Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) October 14, 2025
(wait for the final score) pic.twitter.com/q5SeqH0jVu
Late Tuesday, Jay King, the Celtics reporter for The Athletic, jumped on the pod to explain what happened. In recent years, Boston media has been invited to play a pickup game against each other at the Celtics’ practice facility. On Tuesday, Boston coach Joe Mazzulla informed them that they would be playing the Celtics’ coaching staff. And from the first minute it was clear the staff—populated by ex-college and NBA players—would not be taking it easy.
“They pressed the whole time,” says King. “So Joe Mazzulla, everybody knows the stories of his competitiveness. He was screaming at the other coaches whenever they let up just a little bit, ‘Get up, get up.’ They hit a three to go up 47. This was a 12-minute game, by the way. They hit a three to go up 47, and he clapped like they made the Eastern Conference finals. They were full-court running and trapping and pressing and doing whatever they could to force turnovers and get out and transition at some point.
“It was a miracle we scored it all. Honestly, I think we got the ball over half court once in the first six minutes. It was something to behold. I don’t know whether he meant to send a message or I have no idea why Joe Mazzulla decided to choose violence today, but that’s the part that should stand out to people. Not that he wanted to play the media, but that he wanted to kill the media. He wanted to trounce us and he wanted to leave our blood all over the Auerbach Center court. And he did.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mannix’s NBA Notebook: Joel Embiid Health Watch, Dylan Harper’s Surge.
