The Philadelphia 76ers are being careful with Joel Embiid.
He’s healthy to begin the season, at least in concept. But Philly wants to keep it that way.
They limited his minutes in their season-opening win, and they’re doing it again for game two on Saturday night against the Charlotte Hornets.
Head coach Nick Nurse told reporters that Embiid will get about 20 minutes.
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Embiid played 20 minutes in the season-opening win over the Celtics, a game that featured huge performances from Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe.
There were near-immediate social media concerns from 76ers fans who watched Embiid struggle to jump and move and were worried about the long-term health of his knees.
Embiid made just 1-of-9 field goal attempts in the season opener.
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He put up just four points to go with six rebounds, two assists and a block.
Minutes restriction or not, the 76ers will want to see Embiid simply play better on Saturday night. If he doesn’t, it’ll raise concerns about what Embiid will really be able to provide for Philadelphia this season.
But he has the chance to slow down some worrying minds if he can just go out and play a solid 20 minutes against Charlotte. The 76ers sure hope he does.
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