Joel Embiid will not play for the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday against the Brooklyn Nets. “The Process” will not be available for his team’s preseason games. Philly is giving Embiid’s surgically repaired left knee as little load as possible.NBA insider Tim Bontemps reported that the former MVP will wear a brace on his oft-injured knee and will not play both legs of back-to-back games. The 76ers will not risk an injury, even a minor one, in a preseason game.What happened to Joel Embiid?Joel Embiid’s knee issues have been constant in his career. He underwent a meniscus operation in February and returned in April for the Philadelphia Sixers’ playoff push. Embiid managed to play in his team’s first-round series against the New York Knicks but was hobbled.“The Process” saw action in the Olympics to help Team USA win the gold medal in men’s basketball. Most NBA observers thought Embiid was unimpressive because the big man continued to deal with knee problems.Leading to training camp, Embiid admitted losing "25 to 30 pounds" in the offseason to ease the load on his knees. He has also decided to stay out of back-to-back games to keep himself fresh for the latter part of the season. The Sixers’ championship aspirations hinge on Embiid’s fragile knees and the team is doing everything it can to help him stay healthy.76ers coach Nick Nurse hopes Joel Embiid will be available to play team’s first game of the seasonNick Nurse has repeatedly said that Joel Embiid’s availability this season will always be up to the team doctors and training staff. He has been non-committal about the franchise cornerstone’s status as the regular season approaches.When asked if Embiid would play on Oct. 23 against the Milwaukee Bucks, Nurse responded (via Gina Mizell):“Opening night’s still a long way away … but we are right on course with the plan we’ve kind of set out.”Nurse is uncertain but remains hopeful the 76ers superstar is available to play in the team's season-opening game versus the Bucks.