The NBA is more likely to start an investigation later this week into the Philadelphia 76ers surrounding the participant participation of All-NBA heart Joel Embiid, sources informed ESPN on Wednesday.
Embiid did not play within the preseason for what the group known as left knee damage administration and can miss three video games this week — Wednesday’s season opener in opposition to the Milwaukee Bucks, Friday in opposition to the Toronto Raptors and Sunday in opposition to the Indiana Pacers.
It is typical for the NBA to evaluation a group anytime a celebrity participant misses a nationally tv recreation, as per the participant participation coverage.
The 76ers mentioned Embiid is “responding nicely to his individualized plan” and can ramp up his return-to-play actions this week, together with going by scrimmages.
That is a part of the brand new regular for Embiid this season, in response to sources, a technique to maintain the previous NBA MVP wholesome for the postseason. The plan has been anticipated to incorporate periodic day without work in the course of the common season and routine evaluations from docs and the 76ers’ medical workers, these sources mentioned.
Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey informed ESPN’s Tim Bontemps earlier this month that Philadelphia would attempt to maintain each Embiid and Paul George out of back-to-backs this season.
“We’ll be good about it. A part of being good about it’s having each Paul [George] and Joel in all probability not play many back-to-backs, if any,” Morey mentioned.
Embiid additionally informed Bontemps that, “If I needed to guess, I might in all probability by no means play back-to-backs the remainder of my profession.”
Embiid has misplaced 25 to 30 kilos, with the hope to lose extra, and can proceed to put on a brace on his left knee regardless of it being one thing that he would like to not do, as a substitute opting to maintain it as structurally secure and guarded as attainable.
Embiid performed in solely 39 video games final season due to knee accidents. He returned in time to play in opposition to the New York Knicks within the playoffs however did so at lower than 100% — and that was earlier than he was coping with a sudden onset case of Bell’s palsy in the course of the collection. He went on to play for Crew USA this summer season, serving to the People win a fifth straight gold medal on the Paris Olympics.