The Philadelphia 76ers “truly believed” Joel Embiid would be available for the team’s regular-season opener on Oct. 23, according to The Athletic’s Sam Amick.

Embiid has not yet played during the 2024-25 season, and the NBA fined the Sixers $100,000 last Tuesday for making “inconsistent” statements about his health.

Amick reported that the 76ers have been monitoring the status of Embiid’s left knee since he joined Team USA during the 2024 Paris Olympics this summer.

“On the one hand, league sources say his left knee wasn’t a concern, or even a topic of discussion, among the Team USA stakeholders during the national team’s run to Olympic gold in France — even if, according to team sources, the left knee was being managed and monitored on their end during that time,” Amick wrote.

Embiid, who underwent knee surgery in February, returned to the Sixers lineup for the conclusion of the 2023-24 season. He told reporters on Friday that he is still working on recovering from the surgery.

Embiid also said “no” when asked on Friday if had experienced a setback in the knee, per Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice.

“I had surgery in February. I did come back early to fight for the team and to play and try to give us a chance, and unfortunately we lost,” Embiid told reporters on Friday. “I had time to recover, so really still been managing since the last surgery. Been managing, and trying to figure out the best approach.”

The 76ers told reporters on Oct. 13 that Embiid would sit out the rest of the 2024-25 preseason.

The team then said on Oct. 22, the day before the season opener, that Embiid would miss the start of the regular season. Nick Nurse told reporters when sharing the news that there had been “no setback” in Embiid’s injury recovery. That raised eyebrows, considering the 76ers’ previous messaging as well as Embiid’s participation in the Olympics.

Amick noted that NBA sources say Embiid “never missed a practice or a shootaround during the five-week stretch from the team’s Las Vegas training camp in early July to the championship game against France on Aug. 10.”

Embiid logged just 11 minutes and four points in the gold medal game, although he had played 27 minutes while contributing 19 points to the United States’ semifinal victory over Serbia two days prior.

However, the NBA said when fining the Sixers that an investigation had “confirmed that Embiid has been unable to play in the 76ers’ regular season games this season due to a left knee condition.”

The 76ers are off to a 1-5 start to the season despite Paul George, who was previously sidelined with a bone bruise in his knee, making his Sixers debut in Monday night’s loss to the Phoenix Suns.

There is now a possibility that Embiid could face suspension after the NBA began an investigation into his reported altercation with a Philadelphia columnist in the 76ers locker room following Saturday’s loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Embiid said on Friday that he “should be back pretty soon.” The 76ers will wait to see if any potential league penalties could delay his return further as they prepare for Wednesday night’s road game against the Los Angeles Clippers.