The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 118-112 on Wednesday night to improve to 38-19 on the season. Joel Embiid led the way for Philadelphia with 29 points (including the 10,000th of his career), 14 rebounds, five assists, two steals, and one block.
However, Embiid told the media postgame that he’s “not healthy” and “[hasn’t] been healthy for the past three weeks, or month.” He’s been battling a left foot injury that had him questionable for Wednesday’s game.
Embiid added, “I feel like I’ve reached the point where I need to follow the doctor’s advice… back then he said I should have been sitting or two weeks, so we’ll see how the next few days go, and go from there.”
This also has Embiid’s status for Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game in question. He told the media that he’s “not sure” if he’ll play in the game.
Here’s more, from Tim Bontemps of ESPN:
“I’m not sure,” the Philadelphia 76ers star said after collecting 29 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and a block in 39 minutes against Cleveland. “I’m not healthy. I haven’t been healthy for the past three weeks, or month. I was just trying to get to the All-Star break without missing games and stuff. But I feel like I’ve reached the point where I need to follow the doctor’s advice … back then he said I should have been sitting for two weeks, so we’ll see how the next few days go, and go from there.”
“I haven’t been healthy,” he said. “I’ve been having this lingering foot issue. According to the doctors, which needs a lot of rest and staying off my feet.
While any player would love to play in the All-Star Game and put on a show for the fans, it’s an exhibition game and the 76ers would surely like Embiid to take advantage of the break and get needed rest. After all, this is a 76ers team with realistic championship aspirations, and they’ll need the NBA MVP candidate healthy to make a run at the title.
Embiid is averaging 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 1.2 steals on the season.
So, there are two ways to view Embiid’s health status:
It’s concerning that he’s dealing with a injury that could cause him to miss multiple weeks of action, and it’s unclear if it will linger all season.
But it’s also a very scary thought for the rest of the NBA that he’s still been absolutely dominating while not healthy. He may take things to another — ridiculous — level if the foot starts feeling better.
[ESPN]
