Jessica Camerato of NBC Sports Philadelphia has confirmed Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid is available to play in the team’s season opener against the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night.
Embiid is available to play tonight.
— Jessica Camerato (@JessicaCamerato) October 18, 2017
Embiid, who had been sidelined since March after tearing a meniscus in his left knee, returned for the Sixers’ final two preseason games. He scored 22 points in 15 minutes in his debut against the Brooklyn Nets but was limited to just five points on 1-of-7 shooting against the Miami Heat in the team’s preseason finale.
Embiid played just 15 minutes in each of those two games, and he’ll likely see around that range of playing time once again in Washington. Sixers head coach Brett Brown has said Embiid will have a minutes restriction starting in the teens to start the season, something which Embiid reacted very negatively against.
Embiid was similarly handed minutes restrictions last season, but he still put up 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks in just 25 minutes per game. However, he lasted just 31 games and suffered a season-ending knee injury despite that limit.
After signing a five-year, $148 million extension this offseason, the Sixers will likely be even more cautious in terms of how they treat their franchise big man moving forward.
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