‘[Ticked] off’ he did not play at Washington, Joel Embiid directs all questions to Daryl Morey: ‘I wasn’t allowed to play basketball’
Embiid said he “found out online” that he had been ruled out of the Sixers' win in Washington, and that the decision caught him off-guard.
Joel Embiid on Friday said he was “[ticked] off” that he was ruled out of the 76ers’ Wednesday win at the Washington Wizards with an illness, and that any further questions about that situation should be directed to president of basketball operations Daryl Morey.
“I wanted to play basketball,” Embiid said following the Sixers’ 115-103 home victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. “I wasn’t allowed to play basketball. So I think this is more of a question [for] Daryl Morey and whoever makes the decisions.”
The comments from the former NBA Most Valuable Player came after one of the Sixers’ more impressive victories of the season, when Embiid overcame a 1-for-10 shooting start to finish with 19 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists, and three blocks.
Still, it was Embiid’s first opportunity to publicly offer his perspective on Wednesday’s bizarre chain of events involving his health and availability.
The Sixers (43-34) ruled Embiid out of the Wizards game around 11 a.m., after he did not attend the team’s morning film session. Embiid said Friday that the reason he missed that team activity is because the illness prevented him from getting to sleep until around 5 or 6 in the morning.
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Embiid said he then “found out online” that he had been ruled out, then posted on X (formerly Twitter) that the team’s official designation must be an April Fool’s joke and that he intended to try to play through the sickness. Morey confirmed to The Inquirer later Wednesday afternoon that Embiid would not play against the Wizards.
“That kind of caught me off-guard, and that [ticked] me off,” Embiid said. “But then again, I guess they make the decisions, so it doesn’t matter what I think or not. I just got to follow it.”
This is not the first time this season that Embiid has sounded off about Sixers’ management. A week before the trade deadline, he said he hoped the front office would not make moves purely to duck the luxury tax and would instead try to improve the roster. He then kept his comments politically correct — but kept side-eying a public relations staffer — after the team traded Jared McCain and Eric Gordon, saying, “I believe in myself. … So no matter what, we’re going to go out there and compete and still try to win it.”
On Wednesday, Embiid said he felt “definitely much better” compared to Monday’s loss at the Miami Heat, when he shared after that game that he played through illness despite never being listed on the injury report entering that matchup. He said he played in Miami because he understood the importance of that game, which decided the head-to-head tiebreaker between the Sixers and Heat and impacted the playoff race in the tight Eastern Conference standings. Embiid finished that night with 26 points on 10-of-25 shooting.
“I still wanted to give us a chance,” Embiid said, “to go out there and try to do something, because of how important the game was.”
By Friday, Embiid said he felt “OK” during the Sixers’ win over Minnesota to maintain the sixth spot in the standings. In addition to his early shooting struggles, there were some clear timing miscues on passes and cuts.
Yet Embiid caught rhythm in the third quarter, when the Sixers seized control of the game. He hit a textbook jumper to open the period. He delivered an alley-oop pass to Dominick Barlow, then bounced one through his legs for a Tyrese Maxey jumper. Embiid’s finish through contact tied the score at 68, before his three-pointer gave the Sixers a 71-70 lead late in the quarter. He even played a third-quarter stint alongside fellow big man Andre Drummond.
“Just pushing through it,” Embiid said. “First half, missed a lot of easy shots. And then the second half, got a little bit closer. So just happened to make more shots. That’s all it is.”
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Embiid added that he got hit again Friday in his right oblique that he strained more than a month ago, which kept him sidelined for 13 games before returning last week. Embiid also has dealt with a stress reaction in his shin and issues with both knees during another injury-affected season.
When available to play, Embiid has averaged 26.7 points on 49.1% shooting, 7.6 rebounds, four assists, and 1.1 blocks in 37 games. The Sixers are 24-13 in those contests.
Managing those health ailments is why Embiid has not played in both games of back-to-backs this season. So is there any hope that he will be available for Saturday’s matchup against the East-leading Detroit Pistons?
“There’s a chance,” Embiid said. “I don’t know. I guess these guys decide to let me play or not. So whatever they tell me, I guess I got to follow.”