Joel Embiid finally found himself back on Philadelphia’s starting lineup this Sunday evening, in a 108-100 victory against Chicago in which he starred with an impressive 31 points and 12 rebounds. After the fame, he revealed how difficult this current process has been for him mentally, as the recovery has been slower than expected.
“Depressing,” the Sixers big man said when asked about how he’s felt these past couple of months. “Just trying to figure it out. There’s no injury. Just between the swelling … we’ve got to get it figured out. That’s it.
The former league MVP wishes he could play every game. “I’ve been saying it for the last few months,” he admitted. “It’s been extremely depressing. It’s something that hasn’t been figured out, and it’s been extremely annoying, because I would love to play every single game.”
Joel Embiid first game back
31 PTS
12 REB
4 AST
2 BLK
+16BIG FELLA IS BACK! #TheProcess pic.twitter.com/LJy5bshEY6
— Prez💊 ‘ (@PresidentEmbiid) December 8, 2024
Let’s recap on his situation: Joel missed out on the first nine games of the seasons due to his knee injury, plus a league suspension. He finally made his way back to courts about a month ago, competing in four different games, but was then was shut down again as his health issue swelled up again.
Then against the Bulls, he wasn’t at his old self, but did show glimpses of what he is capable. Alongside Paul George and Tyrese Maxey, the 76ers trio outscored their opponents during the 26 minutes they shared on the floor.
Embiid now hopes to remain injury-free the rest of the campaign. “It starts with health,” he told the press. “It felt good to have the guys on the floor. I believe if we’re healthy, and we’re on the floor, we have a chance against anybody, and I like what we have.
“I think the whole thing is about health … that’s what it comes down to. I wish I could have been playing from the beginning. I would love to play every single game, every single minute, but sometimes your body just says, ‘No,’ and you can’t do nothing about it. All you can do is just keep working to fix it and get better.”
Both Joel’s head coach and teammates were all thrilled to have him back on the floor, and felt the game was ‘easier’ with their big man around
“I said it on the bench a couple times,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse said after the game, impressed with Embiid. “I was like, ‘Whoa, we could be down … we’re playing so bad, right? Really bad. We were down five with a couple minutes ago. I was like, ‘How are we down five?'”
Even though the versatile center missed his first seven shots of the match against Chicago, he eventually got the hang of it and dropped in 8 of his following 10 attempts. During that second quarter, not only did Philly score 39 points in total, but Joel outscored the Bulls himself 19-17.
Many of his shots came off passes from co-star Maxey, who produced his first-ever triple double that night. “It was great,” the young point guard said of having his teammate back on the court again. “I mean, that’s just who he is. … It’s easier, man. There’s a lot more space out there.
“I felt like today, even when he’s out there and I’m not out there, it’s harder to maybe trap or whatever. They can’t trap ball screens, you know what I mean? Either or if they don’t drive, then I can score or shoot 3 or if they drop too much and help too much for me, I’m pocket passing to him and he’s getting a layup or a [midrange jumper] … it makes the game easier.”
