‘Probably’ done playing in back-to-backs, says NBA star Joel Embiid
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Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (left) and centre Joel Embiid pose for photos during the Sixers media day.
PHOTO: AFP
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PHILADELPHIA – Philadelphia 76ers centre and former National Basketball Association (NBA) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Joel Embiid said it is probable that he will never play in back-to-back games ever again.
The 30-year-old, who was shut down by the team on Oct 13 for the rest of the pre-season due to his troublesome knee, made the comments to ESPN.
“If I had to guess, I would probably never play back-to-backs the rest of my career,” he said.
It is a notion backed by Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, adding that scenario could also be in play for new addition Paul George.
“We’re going to be smart about it,” Morey told ESPN.
“Part of being smart about it is having both Paul and Joel probably not play many back-to-backs, if any.”
Embiid recently said he dropped around 10kg in the off-season to help take pressure off the knee and will continue to wear a brace on the left knee.
“It’s the right thing to do, and the right thing that’s going to give me the support for the rest of my career,” he said.
“For me, it’s a mental thing. I hated it. (But) I started telling myself, ‘OK, I have to do it, that’s the only way they’re going to let me play’.”
Philadelphia open the regular season on Oct 23 against the visiting Milwaukee Bucks.
Embiid played just 39 regular-season games last season, mainly due to his troublesome left knee.
He was injured in a collision with Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga on Jan 30, and underwent a procedure to fix the damage to his meniscus on Feb 6.
He hobbled through the play-offs after returning to action.
Embiid was superb in the regular season, averaging 34.7 points and 11 rebounds per game and making the All-Star team for the seventh straight season.
He was NBA MVP for the 2022-23 season, when he averaged 33.1 points and 10.2 rebounds in 66 games.
He is a two-time scoring champion and also won an Olympic gold medal with the United States this summer.
Overall, he has averages of 27.9 points and 11.2 rebounds in 433 games over eight seasons.
George, the nine-time NBA All-Star who joined Philadelphia from the Los Angeles Clippers as a free agent in the off-season, is another concern after he hyperextended his left knee in a pre-season victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Oct 14.
He was guarding Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson in the first half when he appeared to plant his leg awkwardly.
George told the Philadelphia Inquirer that he felt the hyperextension and knew he needed to have the knee examined, but added “I’m not too concerned about it”.
Sixers coach Nick Nurse said he was hopeful George would be back in action “right away”.
Elsewhere in the NBA, Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard will also miss the entire pre-season due to a right knee injury that calls into question his availability for the start of the regular season.
With their regular-season opener against the visiting Phoenix Suns set for Oct 23, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said: “Continue to keep rehabbing. Keep getting better. Keep checking the boxes.”
Leonard played just two games of the Clippers’ 4-2 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the opening round of the Western Conference play-offs the previous season because of issues with his right knee.
In the 2023 play-offs, he sat out the final three games of the Clippers’ five-game, first-round loss to the Suns.
Leonard also missed Los Angeles’ last eight post-season games in 2021 after hurting his right knee, and he sat out the entire 2021-22 season after having his anterior cruciate ligament surgically repaired.
The 33-year-old played in 52 regular-season games (50 starts) in 2022-23 and in 68 games (all starts) last season.
He was named an All-Star for the sixth time in 2023-24, when he wound up with averages of 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game. REUTERS, AFP
