Philadelphia 76ers Center Joel Embiid to Play Under Minutes Restriction at the Start of the Season
As expected, the Philadelphia 76ers are going to keep center Joel Embiid on a minutes restriction to start the season and he's not happy about it.
"I wish I was playing more minutes. I think I'm ready for more than I don't know whatever number they have," Embiid said, via NBA.com.
"I always think I have a voice so I'm sure they're listening to what I have to say too. But they're making a decision based on what they think," he continued. "I think the concept of minute restrictions is kind of complicated. I don't think there should ever be minute restrictions. I think it should always be about how my body feels and how it's reacting," he added.
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According to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Sixers head coach Brett Brown is planning to limit Embiid to under 20 minutes a game early on this season.
Embiid is not thrilled about the minutes restriction, but it's the smart thing to do for the Sixers. The center just signed a five-year, $146.5 million contract extension last week and he's one of the primary building blocks of the team. However, he has an extensive injury history and they really shouldn't give him extensive minutes at the start of the season.
Embiid has already missed the first two seasons of his career due to a fracture in the navicular bone in his right foot, and he also had surgery to repair a tear in the meniscus of his left knee last March. He has missed a lot of time in the preseason while he was recovering from surgery, so the Sixers will have to bring him along slowly and restricted his playing time, at least for the time being.
His minutes should continue to rise in the coming weeks, though. As of the moment, Embiid will have to be patient.
