Joel Embiid says ‘we’ll be fine’ once Sixers get their star trio on the court together amid a slow start
Embiid admitted he was a little timid in his return on Tuesday, but is confident the Sixers can turn their season around when he, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey are all healthy.
Joel Embiid is far from concerned.
The 76ers lost, 111-99, to the New York Knicks on Tuesday at the Wells Fargo Center in his season debut. The loss dropped them to 2-8, the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference (entering Wednesday) in a season with lofty expectations.
With Tyrese Maxey sidelined with a strained right hamstring, the Sixers’ Big Three of Embiid, Maxey, and Paul George have yet to play together.
» READ MORE: Joel Embiid is rusty, fatigued in season debut as the Sixers drop NBA Cup opener to Knicks
As a result, Embiid was asked how long it will take for everything to come together for a squad predicted to contend for the NBA title.
“We’ll be fine,” Embiid said. “Based on the history, I think [with] us on the floor, we’ll be fine. I think it’s all about everybody getting on the same page. And right now, I’m still trying to figure out the best way to help.
“I came into this season, I wanted to let everybody just play, making sure to get open. But then again, I can also adjust. If I have to do what I did last year, then I’m going to do it. So I think it’s all about us just getting on the floor together, learning how to play with each other.
“But health is a big thing.”
Tuesday marked Embiid’s first game of the season after he missed the preseason and the first nine games. He missed the first six games as part of the team’s left knee injury management plan. Then he served a three-game suspension after his locker room altercation with Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes on Nov. 2.
Tuesday was George’s fifth game back after missing the start of the season with a left knee bone bruise, which was the result of hyperextending his knee in a preseason game. Maxey has been sidelined the last three games with his hamstring injury. He suffered the injury on Nov. 6 and will be evaluated this week. The All-Star point guard is expected to be sidelined another week.
» READ MORE: Paul George's big scoring night, Sixers' shooting woes highlight loss to Knicks
“PG is feeling pretty good,” Embiid said. “Now, we need to get Tyrese back. Once we are all on the floor, I think we are going to have a pretty good chance to win some games.”
But the 2023 league MVP knows he’ll have to play better than he did against the Knicks (5-5, 1-0) in the NBA Cup East Group A opener.
Embiid finished with 13 points, three rebounds, five assists, one block, and two turnovers while playing just 26 minutes, 25 seconds because of a minutes restriction.
He missed his first five shots en route to shooting 2-for-11 — including making 1-of-5 three-pointers. The seven-time All-Star was rusty, noticeably fatigued, and admittedly timid at times.
“I felt pretty good, health-wise,” Embiid said. “I think it’s just trusting myself. I thought I was a little timid. So I stuck with a lot of jumpers just to get myself a little comfortable. But as the games go, I’m sure it’s just getting back to myself. It’s going to be a little easier.”
The Sixers don’t think he’s far off from being in game-ready shape.
Embiid expected to feel fatigued during the first five minutes of the game. He thought his conditioning was fine after that.
“You can do whatever you want in practice and scrimmage,” he said. “But the game is a different story. So I’ll be fine.”
» READ MORE: Sixers expect adjustment period to accompany Joel Embiid’s return; NBA Cup tips off with special court
Embiid said during training camp that he wouldn’t play in both games scheduled on back-to-back nights. However, the 30-year-old said he wanted to play in Wednesday’s home matchup with the first-place Cleveland Cavaliers, who entered Wednesday with a 12-0 record.
On Tuesday night, Sixers coach Nick Nurse said Embiid and George would be checked out Wednesday ahead of the game. Nurse added the duo has not yet been cleared to play.
“That’s up to those guys,” Embiid said. “I know I said I would never play back-to-backs, but I’m a troll. So I’m sure at some point, I’ll play. But I feel good right now. We’re going to see. But it’s up to them.”
But as expected, Embiid and George will miss the game because of left knee injury management. This is part of the Sixers’ load management plan to keep their standouts healthy for the playoffs.
Embiid said the Sixers’ slow start created additional urgency for him to get back to his dominant self as soon as possible.
However, he still has to get over the mental hurdle of fearing reinjury of his left knee.
“I think I can still be pretty good even without that, which I’m going to get to at some point,” Embiid said. “I don’t know when. It might be the next game. Might be in two games. Usually, I get it back pretty fast. So I’m fine.”