Playing in ‘every game possible’ is among Joel Embiid’s priorities for the Sixers this season

CHARLESTON, S.C. — Joel Embiid offered this quip when asked at 76ers media day about his summer: “I was chilling on the couch, so I didn’t really work on my game. So we’re just going to have to wait and see how the season goes.”

And when the topic of offseason priorities resurfaced following Thursday’s practice at The Citadel, “sleep” was Embiid’s one-word answer.

The coy responses remind why Embiid calls himself “Troel.” Yet another crucial season is on the horizon for the All-NBA center, following a 2021-22 that was consistently spectacular until it ended in frustration. Embiid led the NBA in scoring and again finished second in MVP voting to the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokić, before two “freak” injuries — a torn thumb ligament that required surgery and an orbital fracture that put him in a protective facemask — sustained during the playoffs’ first round against the Toronto Raptors hampered Embiid’s stretch run.

How will he approach a 2022-23 season with championship aspirations and soaring individual expectations? Replicating that regular-season durability, refining details, and making teammates better will be part of the equation.

“Obviously, you can’t control freak accidents,” Embiid said of last season’s finish. “But I felt great. I need to keep on going. I’m only doing this for 20 years, so I need to get it all while I can.”

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Last season, Embiid became the first center since Shaquille O’Neal in 1999-2000 to be the NBA’s top scorer (30.6 points per game), brilliantly anchoring a Sixers team that navigated the Ben Simmons saga and blockbuster midseason trade for James Harden. Embiid also improved his assist average by more than one per game, from 2.8 in 2020-21 to 4.2. And he played in a career-high 68 regular-season games, deliberately aiming to shed that part of his reputation following an injury-plagued early career.

Calling the torn finger ligament and broken face ill-timed would be an understatement, though Embiid said, “You can’t blame anybody. It happens. You move on.” He added he does not know if his thumb “will ever be the same” post-surgery but is getting used to how it feels. Following last season’s heavier workload, Embiid remained adamant that he wants to play in “every game possible” and “as many minutes as possible.”

Added coach Doc Rivers: “Yeah, we want him to do that again.”

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The offseason typically is when Embiid has worked to expand his offensive game with prominent personal trainer Drew Hanlen. In recent seasons, Embiid has implemented off-the-dribble moves inspired by idol Kobe Bryant — a marvel considering Embiid’s size — and making more advanced reads when defenders swarm him.

Earlier this week, Rivers repeated the word “dominate” when asked to ponder Embiid’s next step. Not just with Embiid’s own forceful scoring, but by helping teammates gain rhythm because of his presence and playmaking.

That, though, still requires the Sixers to get Embiid the ball to lure the double- and triple-teams.

Embiid has continued to work through timing and spacing in the pick-and-roll with Harden, who has spent years automatically going to iso-ball when he gets a defensive switch but can now dish to Embiid being guarded by a smaller opponent. Teammate Tobias Harris offered more candor following Thursday’s practice, saying, “We weren’t really very good [at] getting [Embiid] the basketball in the post” last season.

“We would turn it over a lot,” Harris said. “Our spacing wasn’t good when we fed him the ball. … So it’s small details, but there’s a lot to uncover there. It’s easy to say, ‘Let’s get the ball to Joel.’ But in reality, it’s like, ‘No, let’s get the ball to Joel. Let’s give him space to operate. Everybody know their roles on the backside.’”

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Added Embiid: “Someone might be open because the defenses are gonna shift over. It is a good strategy. We’ve just got to be great at it. We’ve just just got to be great passers and we’ve just got to attack off of it. … There’s a lot of options that come into trying to get me the ball. There’s a lot of things that open up.”

After finishing as the MVP runner-up for the second consecutive season, Embiid said he no longer cared about winning the sport’s most prestigious individual award. He reiterated that point at media day, instead emphasizing a recommitment to defense by assuring, “I plan on getting back to the level I was before I had all that offensive load.

“Whatever happens, happens,” Embiid said of potential personal accolades. “That’s something I’m not worried about. All I’m worried about is having the best team in the league. Because if you win games, everything else is gonna take care of itself.”

None of that has surprised prized free-agent acquisition P.J. Tucker. When asked to detail why he chose the Sixers in free agency, the veteran big man playfully responded, “Um, this guy, I can’t remember the guy’s name … Embiid?

“I love his energy,” Tucker said. “Right now, he’s coming in ready, doing what he does and everybody’s learning around him.”