Heading into the 2017-18 season, there are many questions concerning the health of Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid, who is coming off a meniscus tear in his left knee.
Throughout the process, Embiid has voiced much optimism about his recovery from the injury. However, during the team's Media Day on Monday morning, he made it clear that he won't be able to take the court for entire 82-game regular season.
Embiid says he'd love to, but "I'll be honest, I'm not playing 82 games."
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) September 25, 2017
This should come as no surprise given Embiid's injury history after missing his first two seasons due to a pair of fractures in his right foot. There would be no reason for him to push it to the limit off the bat to play in every game given that last year was ended prematurely for him after just 31 games played.
The 76ers will likely stick to the gameplan of keeping him out of the second game of back-to-backs and resting him every once in and awhile until he proves he can handle an increased workload. The team likely wants to remain on the precautionary route with Embiid.
The 23-year-old has quickly proven to be a promising talent last season when he averaged 20.2 points with 7.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in 25.4 minutes per game.
Follow Us
Subscribe