Sources – NBA will investigate 76ers over Joel Embiid player involvement

The NBA will likely launch an investigation into the Philadelphia 76ers later this week related to All-NBA center Joel Embiid's player involvement, sources told ESPN on Wednesday.

Embiid did not play in the preseason because of what the team called a left knee injury and will miss three games this week – Wednesday's season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks, Friday against the Toronto Raptors and Sunday against the Indiana Pacers.

It's typical for the NBA to review a team every time a superstar player misses a nationally televised game, according to its player participation policy.

The 76ers said Embiid is “responding well to his individual plan” and will step up his return-to-game activities this week, including conducting scrimmages.

This is part of the new normal for Embiid this season, according to sources, a strategy to keep the former NBA MVP healthy for the postseason. According to these sources, the plan will include regular time off during the regular season as well as routine examinations by doctors and the 76ers' medical staff.

Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey told ESPN's Tim Bontemps earlier this month that Philadelphia will try to keep both Embiid and Paul George out of the game this season.

“We will act smartly. “Part of the smart approach is that both Paul (George) and Joel probably don’t play back-to-back often, if at all,” Morey said.

Embiid also told Bontemps, “If I had to guess, I would probably never play back-to-back games for the rest of my career.”

Embiid has lost 25 to 30 pounds in hopes of losing even more and will continue to wear a brace on his left knee, although he would rather not do so, opting instead to keep it as structurally stable and protected as possible hold .

Due to knee injuries, Embiid only played 39 games last season. He returned in time to play in the playoffs against the New York Knicks, but did so at less than 100% – and that was before he struggled with a sudden case of Bell's palsy during the series. This summer he played for Team USA and helped the Americans win their fifth consecutive gold medal at the Paris Olympics.