Asked on Monday about the possibility of a minutes limit for Joel Embiid to start the season, Sixers head coach Brett Brown said the club doesn’t necessarily have a specific amount in mind. However, as Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes, Brown suggested that the young center would continue to see minutes in the teens, as he had in the preseason. Told later about Brown’s comments, Embiid expressed disappointment, though he insisted he trusts the Sixers and team doctors.
“I got a voice,” Embiid said. “They got to listen to me. … If I feel great and my body feels great and my knee is fine, I should play 30 minutes or more. I definitely have my opinion on that. They are going to hear me. We are going to discuss it.”
As Jessica Camerato of NBC Sports Philadelphia details (via Twitter), Embiid railed against his minutes restriction again on Tuesday, using more colorful language — it’s “f—ing bulls–t,” in Embiid’s view. The fourth-year big man also said he thought he’d be playing at least 24 minutes a night to start the year, adding that he doesn’t believe in the concept of minute restrictions to begin with (Twitter links).
As we wait to see if the Sixers and Embiid can find common ground on his playing time, let’s round up a few more items out of Philadelphia…
- In his weekly mailbag for ESPN.com, Kevin Pelton explored how many games – and minutes – Embiid would need to play for the Sixers to become a probable playoff team. Pelton estimates that 55 games played sounds about right, assuming Embiid averages close to 25 minutes in those contests.
- Dario Saric was the Sixers’ most productive player down the stretch last season, but will come off the bench to start the 2017/18 campaign. As he tells Sarah Todd of Philly.com, if he can’t start games, Saric hopes to be part of the lineup that finishes them.
- In a separate article for Philly.com, Todd takes a closer look at the Sixers’ bench, which – led by Saric – features an intriguing mix of depth, upside, and experience.
I have to admit, a few years ago, while Embiid was sitting around injured, getting room service to bring him gallons of Shirley Temple’s every hour, I doubted his passion. But the guy is a gamer. He lays his body on the line when he’s on the court. I respect and appreciate the effort. Here’s to him staying healthy…
I think his contract will pay off… he will try to play to it, and can… he’s not the coddler, the FO is. I’m not criticizing the FO… while as a person Embiid may be set up to go to extremes, his legs are conventional– and so far away!
It always bothered me that people doubted his commitment to the game.
He was injured. What’s he supposed to do? And yea he likes using social media and attending concerts, he’s human. Bynum was a very different story.
This is all on the analytical staff of the team
The analyticals seem to like the number 1650 for Embiid. As in, get in 1650 minutes to get in the money. It’s not really a high bar.