Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid is finally expected to make his much-awaited NBA debut this coming season, but he won’t be without limitations.
According to a report by Keith Pompey of Philly.com, Embiid will be on a minutes restriction in 2016-17 and isn’t expected to play in back-to-back sets.
The 22-year-old was drafted by the Sixers at No. 3 overall back in 2014, but nagging foot injuries caused him to miss the first two years of his NBA career. But Embiid declared himself to be healthy back in May and recently surfaced looking great in workouts.
The Cameroonian’s two-way upside is through the roof, but so is his risk for re-injury. As such, it’s just common sense that Philadelphia would pull out the toddler gloves in handling him.
Embiid and the Sixers are in uncharted waters with virtually no precedent for a big man missing his entire first two NBA seasons due to injury, then going to have a lengthy, productive career (perhaps with the lone apples-to-oranges exception of Cavs great Zydrunas Ilgauskas). While it would be nice to see Embiid out there at full speed right away, exercising due caution with his health pretty much goes without saying for Philly.
