Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid had a disappointing start to the 2025-26 NBA season. Since Embiid hadn't played basketball since February, there was a lot of interest in him. The 76ers shut him down to address his knee issues, and he underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in April.He spent a lot of time in recovery, making sure his body was ready ahead of the new season. The 76ers prioritized ensuring Embiid fully healed from his injuries from April until September, especially since the setback limited him to just 19 games last year.In his first regular-season game, however, he struggled to be a factor for the team. Embiid finished with just four points and shot 1-for-9 from the field. Fans and critics noticed that the 2023 MVP had difficulty moving around the floor. He didn’t have the same explosiveness as before, which became a topic in the media following Philly’s season opener against the Boston Celtics.Following his disappointing outing, former NBA star Kevin Garnett called him out. According to Garnett, the big man had enough time to make sure his body was ready, but still couldn’t have a strong game.“What’d you do in the summer? Bro had enough time to recover and develop… If you get April to September that should be enough time… he supposed to be ready for season,” the Celtics legend said.Fortunately for the Cameroonian center, the 76ers ended the game with a 117-116 victory, thanks to the backcourt tandem of Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe. Maxey had 40 points, while the rookie guard posted 34 points in his NBA debut.Joel Embiid has another chance to silence the doubters on Saturday, as the 76ers are set to face the Charlotte Hornets.Nick Nurse defends Joel Embiid's four-point gameDespite Joel Embiid’s disappointing performance, the 76ers are still supporting the big man. Head coach Nick Nurse praised Embiid after the game and told the media that the seven-time All-Star did well despite struggling with his shot.“I’m super happy he was out there,” said Nurse. “I think that he played good. I know that’s going to sound silly, one for nine. He just didn’t shoot it very good. I thought he transferred the ball good. I thought he made some good decisions. I thought he took good shots. I thought he protected the rim.”Nurse also defended Embiid, noting that the three-time All-Defensive center hasn’t had enough reps, which explains his poor performance.“He hasn’t done much, right?” asked the coach. “He’s kind of played a scrimmage and a preseason game, and I think there’s some rust there, but I thought he was moving good and made good decisions, which is really positive.”It’s just the first game for Joel Embiid, and he has 81 more chances to shut down the negative narrative around him.