CAMDEN, N.J. — The volatility of the 76ers’ 2024-25 season was nicely summed up in a single sentence Friday morning. The sprained left foot that has cost Joel Embiid the last six games has healed, a team statement read. But after practice Thursday, Embiid reported swelling in the left knee that had apparently not improved while resting his foot. Upon consultation with doctors outside the organization, Embiid will miss at least the next three games and be reevaluated in seven to 10 days. It’s the latest setback for Embiid, the often brilliant and frequently injured star whose games played total will remain stuck on 13 this unlucky season as the team heads for three challenging road games. It comes with the Sixers having lost four straight games and seven of nine ahead of a trip to play three teams in playoff position. “I think we’re all disappointed a little bit,” coach Nick Nurse said Friday. “I feel bad for him, too. I know he’s been trying to get out there, and I think he’s been playing a lot better and all that stuff. But disappointed for sure, for him and for all of us.” Embiid last played Jan. 4 in Brooklyn. He sprained his foot on Christmas in Boston but played four of the next five games, all but a telegraphed off day in a back-to-back. Nurse had said that Embiid’s knee was progressing, but it didn’t withstand a full practice on Thursday. The flareup is the latest entry to injury laundry list. Embiid had surgery to repair his left meniscus last February, then returned for the postseason and played in the Paris Olympics for Team USA. The 76ers said in preseason that they would manage the load on his left knee, anticipating at the least that Embiid would not play in back-to-backs. They haven’t even gotten that far yet. Embiid also suffered a sinus fracture on Dec. 13 but played through it with a protective mask. Embiid is averaging 24.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists in his 13 outings. When asked if the Sixers had any intention of shutting him down for the season, Nurse responded with a flat no: “Not at this point that I’ve been told.” Embiid hasn’t been available to the media since the foot injury absence. Nurse reported he’s relatively upbeat. “I think he still remains fairly positive,” Nurse said. “It’s not hard to talk to him or whatever. I think he does want to play. I think he saw some of the ability that our team could have there and in a run where he was playing well and some other guys were out there, too. But I do think it wears on him, too, that it’s a continual battle right now. He just wants it to feel better and play for long stretches like we all do.” The road ahead is not easy. The Sixers are mired in 11th place in the East at 15-24. They head to Indiana and Milwaukee for games Saturday and Sunday, against teams sitting sixth and fourth, respectively, in the Eastern Conference. They then voyage to Denver, the fourth-place team out West before returning home in time for a game against Cleveland Friday. The Cavaliers lead the East with a 34-6 record. It could be a less than warm welcome from the Wells Fargo Center faithful. Nurse’s aperture of focus hasn’t changed. The early decision on Embiid offers a runway to prepare accordingly. Nurse is always focused primarily on the microscale of winning the next game, but in the small part of his mind devoted to the big picture, he retains hope of getting Embiid back at some point. “We’ve just got to make sure we stay together, stay strong, stay positive,” he said. “That’s what I try to do. I try to stay positive and go to work.” If there’s a bright side, it’s that Nurse said he has “high hopes” backup center Andre Drummond will return Saturday against the Pacers. He has missed six games with a toe sprain, and as of Friday afternoon was listed as probable. The Sixers have been thin in the frontcourt, with Guerschon Yabusele adjusted from power forward to the pivot and green backups in rookie Adem Bona and two-way player Pete Nance. • • • Were it just Embiid on the sideline, Nurse’s life would be easier. But that’s not the 76ers’ reality. Paul George (right leg), Kyle Lowry (right hip) and Yabusele (knee) all didn’t practice Friday. George and Yabusele were listed as questionable. Lowry is listed as out for what will be a seventh straight game, as are Caleb Martin (groin soreness) and KJ Martin (left foot stress reaction). Yabusele came off worse in a knee-to-knee collision against the Knicks. He has started 18 games and is the only Sixer to appear in all 39 games. While his 10.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game don’t fly off the sheet, he has been central to much of what the 76ers have done well. “He’s been kind of a big hub of what we’re doing on offense right now,” Nurse said. “I know it’s not like a lot of shooting and stuff, but you’re seeing a lot of the actions he’s in. I think some of those guys are getting used to playing two-man game with him. Is he going to roll? Yes. Is he going to pop? Yes. Is he going to get the next action going? Yes. Is he going to handle the blitzes well? Yes. There’s a lot to like about him being in there on the offensive end, for sure.”