Sixers’ Joel Embiid is on a minutes restriction while playing through a ‘painful’ foot condition
Embiid played Monday against the Bulls while managing plantar fasciitis in his right foot. He’s also adjusting to his role in the offense.
As the Sixers coasted through the fourth quarter of their 126-107 victory over the Bulls, Joel Embiid didn’t play. He sat on the floor near the bench as his teammates closed out the win.
A game after he sat the back end of a back-to-back for Saturday’s game against the Hornets (standard protocol for Embiid), he was listed as questionable entering Monday’s game because of right foot plantar fasciitis management.
The often-injured center played, but he was on a 25-minute restriction that ended after three quarters. To hear Embiid talk about the condition, it was more than just a nominal designation.
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“It’s been going on like that for the last few,” Embiid said. “So yeah, it’s painful. Just got to manage it and when it flares up pretty bad, got to take a step back. But yeah, we’ve been able to manage it, but it has its ups and downs.”
Plantar fasciitis can linger, and coach Nick Nurse said that the team will be “managing that and trying to be smart with it.”
Added Embiid: “You feel it on the court, so it certainly doesn’t help.”
Embiid finished with 15 points, eight rebounds and three assists, and it didn’t look much like the condition was affecting him from how he began the season. At one point, Embiid sprung off his feet to dive for a loose ball on the floor.
For the foreseeable future, Embiid will be adjusting to life while playing through the pain. He also is still adjusting to his role on this particular team, which he explained is different from years past. One of the challenges, he said, is not having the ball in his hands on most possessions.
“I’m such a rhythm guy,” Embiid said. “And over the years, obviously, I’ve had a lot of opportunities to just touch the ball almost every other possession. And sometimes you can just go four or five possessions in a row where you don’t touch the ball. So that’s where it’s like an adjustment where I’m not used to catch-and-shoot as much. I’m used to more creating for myself, so I’m working on that.”
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In five games, Embiid is averaging 19.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists. He said his focus in this offense is on making the right plays and “being a hub” for the offense when they need him to be. The Sixers have done a good job of getting out in transition, especially on Monday, when they had 31 fastbreak points. They rank 10th overall with 16.8 fastbreak points per game. Those are possessions where the Sixers might not be involving Embiid as they sprint down the floor; hence the gaps in Embiid’s usage.
“How can I get back to that level of dominance, but without having as much touches as I’m used to?” Embiid said. “That’s a work in progress. And that’s where really the struggle has been because, like I said, I’m a rhythm guy. Like, I need to feel the ball. I need to touch the ball and when you don’t, it’s a little different.”
Before the season, Embiid said his take on what the word “sacrifice” meant for the Sixers was that nobody should sacrifice what they do best on the floor. He also said that even though there may not be as much usage for players on given nights, the amount of talent on the roster should help everyone be more efficient, himself included. Once he figures out this puzzle on his fit in the offense, he said, the team could really take off.
“It’s a fun process and I’m enjoying it,” Embiid said. “Trying to find ways to get over the hump. And then when I feel like once I do and I figure it out and I can really be dominant. The sky’s the limit for us.”
Beat reporters Gina Mizell and Chris Hine break down their most intriguing quotes from LeBron James and Tyrese Maxey during the preseason, along with what they most hope to learn about this revamped roster during the first month of the season. Watch here.
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