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NASSAU, THE BAHAMAS — Joel Embiid previously said he wanted to play every game he could for the Philadelphia 76ers. His tone is changing as he begins the 2024-25 season. The quality of his games is immensely taking precedence over his overall quantity.
“I want to be on the floor as much as possible,” Embiid said in March as he recovered from a meniscus injury. “I only have about 20 years to do this. So any chances that I get, I wanna be on the floor.”
It's easy to understand why Embiid pushed himself to play as often as possible. He missed two full seasons of his NBA career and has faced a litany of injuries every season since. His time on the court, especially when he's in the conversation for the best player on the planet, is finite. Anyone in his position would want to make the absolute most of it.
But after missing 29 straight games last season, Embiid is starting to accept that he must make some sacrifices to increase his chances of winning an ever-elusive championship. The season is a marathon and the big man is committing to pacing himself.
After the 76ers' third day of training camp, he joked that the training staff is allowed to take extreme measures when he pushes back against their rest and recovery plans for him.
“It’s gonna be tough,” he said. “They know that if they have to punch me and slap me or take my stuff away from me for me not to get on that court, they're going to have to do it. I might get mad and I might curse people out.”
Joel Embiid on balancing his desire to play with managing his workload:
“They know that if they have to punch me and slap me or take my stuff away from me for me not to get on that court, they’re gonna have to do it.”
Tyrese Maxey interjects: “Oh yeah, that’s me. My job.” pic.twitter.com/HTXUKZ1PtD
— Sam DiGiovanni (@BySamDiGiovanni) October 3, 2024
Tyrese Maxey interjected to joke that hitting Embiid would be his job.
Joel Embiid taking health more seriously in 2024-25 season
Nick Nurse said that Embiid and other older 76ers players will be “ramping up” in training camp, which is mostly related to not participating in live scrimmages.
“I haven’t played,” Embiid said. “I've just been doing a lot of the drills but I haven't actually played. But the guys have been looking good.” The big man has been getting up plenty of shots and familiarizing himself with his new teammates, still getting plenty of value out of the team's stay in The Bahamas.
Last season, Embiid jumped right back into the lineup after a two-game absence, the last of which was his infamous late scratch against the Denver Nuggets, and got injured. He labored immensely for almost 30 minutes of game time before a collision sent him to the sidelines for two months. When it comes to measuring the right time to play, Embiid was asked, is it just a matter of taking his time until he's ready?
“Yes. Even going back to when we signed that last extension, they made sure to let me know that they had my back,” Embiid said. “They’re understanding. They know me. I've already accomplished a lot, a lot of things, everything. And there's one thing missing and they just know that that's all I care about.”
The dichotomy between wanting to compete every single game and ensuring health for the most important part of the season is sharp. One comes at the cost of another for an injury-prone, giant player like Embiid. With Maxey and Paul George to lead the way without him and a veteran backup center in Andre Drummond to step in when needed, it should be easier for Embiid to rest up. But that doesn’t mean that it will be truly easy for the superstar to pass up opportunities to play.
“I'm gonna want to go out there and play,” he said, “so I gotta make sure they gotta make those decisions and save me from myself.”
The big man's career has been defined by injuries too much. He can't entirely control how or when his body fails him. But what he can do is safeguard himself to the best of his ability, maintaining a long-term view for achieving his ultimate goal. Rather than just hearing what the 76ers' training staff has laid out for him, he sounds ready to be an active listener and participant in the team's plans.
“Now, I look at the big picture,” Joel Embiid said. “I've always listened to them. But I think now it's more of the time to actually listen to them and see what they have to say.”
