Joel Embiid was a full participant in Friday’s practice with the Philadelphia 76ers, which included a 5-on-5 scrimmage. Embiid discovered minor swelling in his surgically repaired left knee during training camp in the Bahamas. Both Embiid and the Sixers are managing and monitoring the knee.
“Everybody has been on the same page,” Embiid said at the 76ers’ New Jersey complex. “If your body doesn’t react well, and if your body tells you one thing [sit out]. I’ve done it. From what I can tell you, I’ve broken my face twice, I came back early with the risk of losing my vision. I have broken fingers. I still came back. When I see people say, ‘He doesn’t want to play,’ I’ve done way too much for this city, putting myself at risk, for people to be saying that.”
Embiid has played in 433 of a possible 805 regular season games since his first full season in 2016.
“I wish I was as lucky as other ones,” Embiid said. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not trying and I’m not doing whatever it takes to try to be out there, which I’m going to be here pretty soon.”
Embiid said he could return on their three-game West Coast road trip.
“Really it’s being comfortable, trusting it,” Embiid said. “I want to be at my best. I don’t want to be in a situation where I’m like, I’m afraid if I do something or whatever [I get hurt again]. I mentioned it since my last surgery; it was probably the toughest mentally. Mentally, I’m just dealing with getting that trust back. In the past, it was just easy.”