The Process is quickly morphing into “The Problem.” Philadelphia’s early media day failed to inspire much confidence, leaving fans skeptical of Joel Embiid’s long-term outlook. In fact, at this point, many Sixers faithful find Gilbert Arenas more relatable than their franchise star. The organization seems determined to center its hopes on Embiid’s return, pushing training camp footage as reassurance. But notorious Embiid skeptic and unfiltered truth-teller, “No Chill Gil,” wasn’t having it.

On a new episode of No Chill Gil, Arenas cut straight through the PR spin with his trademark mix of blunt honesty and slapstick delivery. “I don’t know why people, or why Philly keeps trying to convince us that his knee is good,” he said, before laying out why Embiid’s health narrative no longer matters. “We don’t care because at the end of the day, the Knicks don’t give two s—-. They’re not scared of him. Bucks is not scared of him. The Cavs not scared of him. Nobody’s scared of if Embiid’s coming back because we know the everyday grind on a knee like that will never last a full season.”

Analysts have been harping all season for the 76ers to look beyond Embiid. It’s a fact that teams in the East with the Giannis’ and the Brunsons’ aren’t intimidated by The Process whose health is still a work in progress. Maybe if Tyrese Maxey was pushed as the new franchise star, we could. Or if the team resolved its Quentin Grimes situation.

While addressing the media. Embiid pretty much ended the possibility of him giving the Sixers a headstart early in the season. There’s no return date or timeline a month from the season opening. When asked when he’s going to return, he said, “There’s not necessarily an expectation.”

Some would say there is. Yet despite shutting down any speculation of a timeline, Embiid returned to practice and the 76ers were once again putting it on display. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said Embiid did “quite a bit.”

Others like Arenas would agree that there is, in fact, no expectation for Embiid to play an MVP season again.

Joel Embiid’s no longer the first option

Currently, even Paul George is still recovering with no clear timeline in sight. The team is naturally recalibrating with what they got but it doesn’t look like they’re doing a satisfactory job at it. At the presser, Joel Embiid and the 76ers emphasized they wanted to prioritize consistency over a high performance. Okay, a workable goal. Yet how will they do that with Embiid’s knee?

Arenas left fans chuckling with his take on the podcast with a piece of paper. He crumpled it and tried to straighten it out but no way is that paper going to be as pristine as before. That, folks, is his metaphor for Embiid’s knee.

“You see this right here, right? [the paper] No matter what I do to this, it’s never going to get back to 100% straight. Same thing with that knee. It’s already damaged to the point where it’s eating itself. So you’re not going to be able to do anything about it.”

Gilbert Arenas’ critique of Joel Embiid isn’t something to dismiss lightly. When Arenas says the former MVP won’t be the same again, it carries weight- because he lived that reality himself.

At the peak of his career, Arenas was a three-time All-Star and multiple-time All-NBA guard, one of the league’s most explosive scorers. Then came the turning point: a lateral meniscus tear in his left knee. Surgery followed, but so did setbacks.

In his rush to return, Arenas never fully regained the explosiveness, quickness, and elevation that defined his game. The injury spiral continued, with chronic swelling and damage eventually affecting both knees. By the end of his career, he even avoided additional surgery on his “good” knee, knowing it would mean another uphill battle he no longer had the will to fight.

The result was a steep decline- from NBA superstar to a player struggling to hold onto rotation minutes. His physical limitations were matched by the realization that he would never reach his former level again.

That experience gives Arenas a unique perspective. Few players understand how knee injuries can derail a career as profoundly as he does, which explains why his warning about Embiid resonates beyond just hot-take commentary.

The problem, as Arenas pointed out, basketball players know that condition very well. A recovering Embiid going into practice camp and doing ‘quite a bit’ doesn’t present a threatening picture. While he didn’t present a solution, fans commented under his post that Embiid should go to a team where he’s a second or third option and the veteran presence.

Daryl Morey, Nick Nurse, and the staff are placing the possibility of Embiid’s return on him entirely. The question remains in fans’ minds, while Embiid is working at his own pace, what happens in the meantime? Everyone thinks the weight now falls on Tyrese Maxey. But the Sixers aren’t projecting that as much as they’re ‘trusting The Process.’ Or maybe it’s just a ‘Don’t let them know your next move’ smokescreen. Either way, Arenas has written them off already.