Joel Embiid finally took the court for the first time this season, playing 26 minutes in the Philadelphia 76ers' 111-99 loss to the New York Knicks on Tuesday night. The MVP big man was far from his best, hitting only two of his 11 shots from the field to finish with 13 points, five assists, and three rebounds. But that's to be expected given Embiid missed the first 11 games of the season due to a combination of left knee injury management and a suspension.
In other words, a slow ramp-up was always expected for the superstar. Especially in light of comments he made around training camp, when Embiid bluntly told reporters he did not expect to play two back-to-back games for the rest of his career. However, it seems the seven-footer may have been hasty with that declaration.
Speaking to media on Tuesday after his season debut, Embiid surprisingly reversed course and said he was trying to convince the team to let him play on Wednesday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
"I know I said I will never play back-to-backs," Embiid said, per ESPN, "but I'm a troll."
Keeping players out of one leg of a back-to-back set of games is a common load management tactic in the NBA. However, it is one usually reserved for players who are a lot older than Embiid or players who have recently suffered some sort of serious injury. Embiid has a history of lower body issues and tore his meniscus in January but is simply too important to the Sixers to be sidelined for a handful of games a year just because they are on back-to-back nights.
It seems Embiid realizes that much. Philly will be careful and want him healthy for the postseason above all, but it now seems probable fans will see the center suit up more often than he previously indicated.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Joel Embiid Surprisingly Changes Course on Never Playing Back-to-Back Games for Sixers.
