Everything was going well for the Boston Celtics to begin their 2024-25 season on opening night, but the same cannot be said for the Eastern Conference rival Philadelphia 76ers.

Philadelphia’s biggest stars Paul George (knee), who signed a $212 million contract with the Sixers in free agency last offseason, and Joel Embiid (knee) were not healthy enough to play for Wednesday’s season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks to be fit. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Embiid is expected to miss the first three games in Philadelphia due to injury treatment, prompting the NBA to launch an investigation.

Embiid, the league’s reigning MVP last season, was only able to play in 39 games due to knee injuries. He averaged 34.7 points with 11 rebounds and 5.6 assists, but when it came time to face the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs, Embiid was present but not fully healthy. When it came time to join Team USA for the Paris Olympics, Embiid managed to play in six games (five starts), averaging 11.2 points and 3.8 rebounds, equaling that of Stars helped the occupied team to a gold medal finish.

“If I had to guess, I would probably never play back-to-back games for the rest of my career,” Embiid told ESPN’s Tim Bontemps earlier this month.

The plan behind Philadelphia’s load management system is simple: keep Embiid healthy for the playoffs. For Embiid, being ready in time for the playoffs has become a constant challenge, and with teams like the Celtics, Bucks, New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers desperate to compete, the Sixers can quickly find themselves in the dust. Philadelphia’s front office invested heavily in acquiring George, a nine-time All-Star, and retaining guard Tyrese Maxey as part of a $204 million extension. Therefore, it is crucial for the organization to be competitive from start to finish.

Boston began its title defense without Kristaps Porzingis, who is expected to miss the first few months of the season, by defeating the new-look Knicks. Milwaukee has its star Giannis Antetokounmpo back alongside Damian Lillard. Indiana is looking to take the next step after coming from behind in the conference finals, led by Tyrese Haliburton – last year’s NBA assists leader (10.9). It will be difficult enough for head coach Nick Nurse to operate without Embiid – possibly for half the season – but acclimating a new team presents an even greater challenge for Philadelphia to avoid disappointment – again.

“Listen, I have no thoughts on (the investigation),” Nurse told reporters Wednesday, according to CBS Philadelphia. “Nobody from our organization said anything to me about it. So as far as the investigation goes, I don’t really know.”

The Sixers started 13-year veteran Andre Drummond in place of Embiid on opening night.