Joel Embiid’s new approach to his life is long overdue

More than a decade into his NBA career, Joel Embiid finally seems ready to change his regular season routine.

In years past, Embiid would push injuries unnecessarily. Just last season, he injured his ankle in the first quarter of a game against the Toronto Raptors a few days before Christmas, but played through it to keep his 30-10 run alive. He ended up missing the Sixers’ next four games.

Two weeks later, he did the same thing against the New York Knicks. He suffered a knee injury that would cause him to miss the next three games, but he played 36 minutes in the loss to run his 30-10 streak to 15 games.

In late January, after facing further accusations of “cheating” from Denver Nuggets fans and members of the media alike, Embiid returned early against the Golden State Warriors after ‘a that he seems to be clutching his knee for the past few days. He limped around the floor all night and suffered a meniscus injury late in the game that sidelined him for the next two months.

The NBA’s 65 rookie games for certain awards — including Most Valuable Player — appear to have contributed to Embiid’s decision to play through injuries last year. The reigning MVP was the clear leader in the first iteration before going down.

“I have a very good opportunity [at another MVP]”Embiid told ESPN’s Tim Bontemps in late December. “I mean, if I get a chance to be in the conversation, why not? I want it all. I’m not shy about it. I’m not going to sit here and say, ‘Oh, I don’t care about this.’ Anything I can get, I want.”

That experience last year appears to be a wake-up call for Embiid. At press day, he said his priority this season is to make a healthy playoff run, even if it comes at the cost of individual accolades.

“[Team president Daryl Morey] I would tell you this: As soon as we lost last year, I texted him and said, ‘We have to do whatever it takes to make sure that, in the postseason, I stay healthy,’ ” Embiid said. “This year, there’s no program—All-Star, All-NBA, none of that. It’s whatever it takes to make sure I get to that level and I’m ready to go. It’s not And pretty much every year of my career, I’ve been hurt in the playoffs. I think that’s the goal. It’s all about doing whatever it takes to get there.”

That sounded great, and it’s been a long time coming!—but Embiid wouldn’t be the first player to commit to a press day that he broke early in the season. it starts. Media day resolutions are like New Year’s resolutions in that regard. However, the report that followed confirmed that managing Embiid’s health throughout his 82-game career is a priority for the organization this year.

At press day, Morey said the Sixers are “going to be very smart” about how they move Embiid throughout the offseason, as they are focused on “April, May, June.” He recently told Bontemps that “part of being smart about it is being with Paul [George] and Joel probably doesn’t play many people in the background, if any. “

Embiid also plans to continue wearing a brace on the left knee he injured in January, according to Bontemps.

“It’s the right thing to do, and it’s the right thing that will support me for the rest of my career,” Embiid said. “For me, it’s a matter of mind. I hated it. [But] I started saying to myself, ‘Okay, I have to do it, that’s the only way they’re going to let me play. … It might not look as good as it used to, with the jab or the drag and all that stuff, but it’s still going to work.

The Sixers have ruled Embiid out for the remainder of the preseason, which ESPN’s Shams Charania described as “part of the new normal” for him.

“I’m told it will include time off for him every season,” Charania said. “It will include regular evaluations for Joel Embiid throughout the season. I’m told he’s not worried, he’s not worried about any additions this season. I’m told he’s not worried about the 65-game limit for the team of All-NBA or MVP. He just wants to be 100 percent healthy in his absence, and it’s the playoffs.”

That might sound like an obvious thing to do,​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ but that´s where both Embiid and the Sixers came from last year.

“It’s not like he had a lot of things in mind when he was going to play, he’s not,” head coach Nick Nurse told reporters in early January. “I think that our situation [Sixers VP of athlete care Simon Rice’s] The situation, I think Joel’s situation, is that he will play. He will play.”

Not anymore, it seems.

Of course, the Sixers’ recent acquisitions have helped in this regard. Swapping Tobias Harris for Paul George gives the Sixers a second right star along with Tyrese Maxey in the games Embiid has missed. Getting Andre Drummond back should help the Sixers avoid getting annihilated whenever Embiid misses time, which hasn’t been the case throughout his NBA career. (Does anyone else have Embiid’s on/off streak from the Raptors’ 2019 series permanently etched in their brain? Is it just me?)

At press day, Embiid said that in years past he liked playing with injuries because of how quickly the team fell apart without him, but that’s not the case this time.

He said: “My job this year and what I want to focus on is to strengthen these men.” “I will do it if I have to. If it means I have to get some information at some point, then I’ll do it. But most of the time, I really want to focus on letting the game come to me.

“I think in years past, I had to do it because we didn’t necessarily have the energy to come back and put us in a position to win. But I feel like this year, and the guys we put in – Paul, [Maxey] take another step, Caleb [Martin]Guerschon [Yabusele]Eric [Gordon] … we added a lot of boys. Kyle [Lowry] it’s back. This is my job this year, and I’m good enough when I need to be. ”

That’s a testament to the work the Sixers’ front office has done this offseason. Had they not met a clear target for their acquisitions, Embiid would have been reluctant to accept this load management strategy.

Either way, this change was long overdue. However, it’s too late.

Unless otherwise stated, all statistics by NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning Glass or Reference Basketball. All salary information by Salary Swish and cash prize details by RealGM.