Report: Embiid playing through injury to make up for Simmons' absence

Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid is laboring through a knee injury that left him unable to walk for two days, according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne on NBA Today Wednesday.

Shelburne added that one thing motivating Embiid to play through pain is the absence of 76ers co-star Ben Simmons.

"They need one of them on the court, and (Embiid) wants to show leadership at this moment because you don't want to fall behind to where you cannot come back," said Shelburne.

Along with trying to step up for Philadelphia, Shelburne suggests Embiid's second-place finish in last season's MVP voting with 21 fewer games than winner Nikola Jokic is an added reason for him to stay on the court.

Embiid's injury problems arose after he bumped knees with New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas in the team's season opener on Oct. 20.

The big man's knee clearly bothered him during Tuesday night's 112-99 primetime loss to the New York Knicks, which saw him score just 14 points on 2-of-7 shooting. Only one of Embiid's shot attempts came in the paint.

The 2-2 Sixers have been inconsistent to start the campaign, with the controversy surrounding Simmons' lack of game availability looming over the club.