Joel Embiid’s knee is a hot topic going into the NBA season.
The Philadelphia 76ers‘ campaign tips off against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.
Embiid is already at risk of missing out on the MVP award
Embiid staying healthy for the postseason will be vital to the franchise’s chances of making the NBA Finals – something Paul George has been brought in to accelerate.
The Cameroon-born center played just 29 games last year and was held out of preseason, as well as dropping 25 to 30 pounds, in a bid to protect his troublesome left knee.
The 30-year-old has also adopted a controversial strategy to manage his fitness.
“If I had to guess, I would probably never play back-to-backs the rest of my career,” Embiid told ESPN.
That plan proved a step too far for legendary big man Kevin Garnett.
He launched into an X-rated rant about the modern game on his All the Smoke podcast.
“82 games, man. This is what the f***ing job calls for,” Garnett said.
“You’re not practicing, you don’t play in the summer?
“I don’t want to hear that [expletive], man. I don’t want to hear none of this s***. Mother f***** can sit out of back-to-backs?”
Garnett played 82 games four times in his career – Embiid’s career-high is 68 in 2022.
Embiid missed half of last seasonGetty
Garnett played four full regular-season campaigns for the TimberwolvesGetty
“Bro, listen, we done with that comparison of the eras s***,” Garnett added.
“We gonna respect that era and what it does, and that’s it.
“Ain’t nobody saying nothing, ain’t nobody holding nobody accountable, so not only are they not gonna practice, they gonna sit out.”
Embiid is also taking a huge risk in his pursuit of personal accolades.
Philly has 15 back-to-back games this season and if their center misses all of them, he can appear a maximum of 67 times.
The NBA has a 65-game threshold to be eligible for most end-of-season awards, including the All-NBA team MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and All-Defensive teams.
But Embiid says the only thing on his mind is winning a first championship.
“I’ve accomplished everything [individually], but there’s one thing missing, which is to win a championship,” he told ESPN.
