At this point, with Joel Embiid having missed his first two seasons in the NBA due to foot injuries, simply seeing him on the court, in an actual game, will be a boon for the Philadelphia 76ers’ morale.
Just don’t expect to see him on the hardwood too much, or even on back-to-back nights.
From Philly.com’s Keith Pompey:
The Sixers will have him on a minutes restriction. Embiid also isn’t expected to play on back-to-back nights. They won’t know if he’ll start at center against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the season-opener until after consulting with the medical staff.
This is to be expected.
Embiid is still only 22 and has yet to play in an NBA game. The Sixers are going to bring him along slowly. The win is having him available at all, so that they can get a feel for his trajectory outside practices and viral workout videos.
That’s a win for now. But as the season progresses, you’d like to see him play more, perhaps during back-to-backs, without any extreme limits. That has to be the ultimate goal.
Granted, the Sixers have a frontcourt logjam the size of Mount Everest, which could limit the minutes of everyone involved. But Embiid isn’t the type of talent you chain to a strict minutes cap long term if he’s healthy. So the progression of his playing time and usage during the season should be an indication of both his health and, most importantly, how much the Sixers actually value him.
