In his first season playing, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid showed much promise on the court with a high level of production in limited action. However, all that came to halt in mid-March as he was bitten by the injury bug yet again after suffering a meniscus tear in his left knee, forcing him to miss the remainder of the season.

This latest setback hasn't discouraged Embiid in any manner with his health moving forward as he told Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com on Tuesday night following the NBA draft lottery that he plans on playing in every game of the 2017-18 regular season.

“[My offseason goal is to] make sure my body's ready because I think next year I'll be able to play almost every game,” Embiid said. “Just make sure my body's ready to take on the toll of the NBA schedule, back-to-backs, but I intend to play every game and we're going to see how it goes. It's about getting strong and getting my legs strong and making sure I'm ready for next year.”

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Although Embiid is quite optimistic about the situation, the 76ers will likely take the same cautious route that they took last year with him by restricting his minutes and holding him out of back-to-backs for the entire season until he can prove he can handle an increased workload. Keep in mind, he had been sidelined by a foot injury in his first two seasons in the league.

On top of that, there are also other hurdles Embiid must jump over first before he can get back on the court. He is expected to have another scan on his left knee in the coming weeks, which will determine if he can be cleared for additional basketball activities. He has yet to participate in any jumping in his rehab program and still needs to go through 5-on-5 drills at some point in the offseason.

Given what Embiid demonstrated on the floor prior to his knee injury, the 76ers will be aiming to work him back in the fold in a smooth but cautious process. It is encouraging to see him optimistic, but playing in every game at this point seems like a stretch.