Joel Embiid has been a pleasant surprise for the 76ers to start the season, showing flashes of brilliance during his first four games as an NBA player. While only a sample size, he’s averaging 18.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3 blocks in just 22 minutes per contest thus far.
He missed his first two professional seasons due to injury, an unfortunate scenario the 76ers’ staff has no interest in reliving. With that being said, head coach Brett Brown has prioritized Embiid’s minutes early on, making sure the prized big man doesn’t risk getting injured again by way of fatigue or being overused.
The team’s medical staff, with mutual agreement from the coaches, agreed to keep Embiid on a 24-minute restriction from the jump. According to Brett Brown, that restriction will likely stay in place for several weeks to come (via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin):
“There is always a judgment, a decision in relation to back-to-backs, but as a sort of a cut-off minute restriction, I believe that it’s going to stay at 24 until Christmas,” Brown said. “And then we’ll judge that second third [of the season] after that first third ends. We’ll judge that second third accordingly.”
Embiid, widely viewed as Philadelphia’s best player right now, unsurprisingly wasn’t happy when first told about the restriction.
“It sucks. I can only play 20 minutes,” Embiid told reporters following his NBA debut. “I felt like I could play more, but you have to trust the process, you have to trust those guys.”
Joel Embiid was the No. 3 pick out of Kansas in the 2014 NBA draft, and has given Philadelphia a glimpse of hope for the future of the team. The Sixers value his services, and view him as the cornerstone piece to a growing roster and improving team culture they hope to maintain for years to come.
