Nick Nurse and the Sixers want Joel Embiid to stick with basketball after a locker room altercation

PHOENIX – Nick Nurse knows one of his immediate tasks as 76ers coach is to keep Joel Embiid focused on basketball.

Those efforts are one of the reasons Nurse spoke with Embiid on Sunday, a day after the franchise player physically confronted and shoved Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes in the Sixers' locker room at the Wells Fargo Center.

The NBA is investigating the incident between Embiid and Hayes. And as the 7-foot-1, 280-pound player treats his left knee injury and works to get healthy enough to play, Embiid's availability could also be affected by the league's results and final decision depend.

” READ MORE: Joel Embiid lashes out and shoves Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes during a locker room altercation

“As always, I first asked how he was doing and tried to make him aware of what we were doing,” Nurse said of his conversation with Embiid. “For me it's about getting him on the floor and making sure he understands who he's playing with, what they're doing and what all that stuff looks like. We were able to involve him in more of this work today.

“Yeah, 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 on 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 night.

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

Asked if he expects Embiid to play during this trip, Nurse replied: “Well, I think we're back on track and once again taking steps in the right direction.”

But the coach added: “It probably wouldn’t surprise me either way.”

Embiid looked good during shooting drills after practice at ASU.

” READ MORE: The Sixers, looking to get back on track with the expected return of Paul George, embark on a difficult trip to the West Coast

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

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