With a four-game sample size, Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown is slowly pulling back the curtains on rookie center Joel Embiid, hinting he might tinker with his minutes restriction.
The 7-foot big man has played up to expectations so far, playing in four of five games (sat out a back-to-back due to precautionary limits) and averaging 17.3 points and 2.7 blocks while playing no more than 24 minutes per game.
“The Process” has also shown his range, going 4-of-4 from three-point territory to go with a career-high 22 points on Saturday night's 102-101 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“As I understand it, they will not escalate until Christmas and then it will only be judged,” Brown told Dave MacMenamin of ESPN. “It may stay the same then, too.”
“There is always a judgment, a decision in relation to back-to-backs, but as a sort of a cut-off minute restriction, I believe that it's going to stay at 24 until Christmas. And then we'll judge that second third [of the season] after that first third ends. We'll judge that second third accordingly.”
Brown's decision will largely depend not only on Embiid's health and prowess, but the trade situation with Nerlens Noel.
“It sucks. I can only play 20 minutes,” Embiid told reporters following his NBA debut. “I felt like I could play more, but you have to trust the process, you have to trust those guys.”
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