The Philadelphia 76ers and Joel Embiid are taking the big man's health more seriously than ever before.
Embiid is already slated to miss the entire preseason and undergo a treatment plan to get him ready for the regular season. The focus on his health for the postseason is taking center stage in a major way. With a roster that looks more capable of competing for a championship, the risk of an Embiid injury is being minimized in every possible way. In addition to missing all six of the Sixers' preseason games, he told Tim Bontemps of ESPN that he doesn’t think he'll play in back-to-backs ever again.
“If I had to guess, I would probably never play back-to-backs the rest of my career,” Embiid told ESPN.
Last season, before injuring his meniscus in January, Embiid played in both games of a back-to-back a handful of times. Even for someone whose entire career has been defined by injuries, he has tried to be there for his team as often as possible. However, as he enters his 30s and comes off a season where he was available to play in less than half of the 76ers' games, his tune is changing.
Joel Embiid doesn’t anticipate playing back-to-backs for rest of career
Aside from taking up the opportunity to play with Team USA in the Olympics — an opportunity that he may not have gotten again for the rest of his career — Embiid's offseason has been about maximizing his ability to stay healthy. He said that he lost 25-to-30 pounds and that he and the franchise are firmly on the same page when it comes to his health.
“I still got a ways to go. [I] still want to lose more but it's a process,” Embiid said at media day. Throughout media day and training camp, he swore to listen to the medical staff and maintain the long-term view.
While Embiid being held out of games will help him avoid injuries, it also deprives him of his best chances to stay in shape. The big fella often takes a few games to get into his best form, fighting through exhaustion a few times in performances that often turn out to be bad for his standards. Rest doesn’t hurt him but it takes longer for the massive seven-footer to ramp up.
Nonetheless, the 76ers clearly want Embiid to take the court only when he has ample time to prepare and recover. After so many injuries at the worst times, it's understandable why the extra-safe route is the one Philly has selected.