For first time since hurting knee, Embiid gives update on his injury originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
BOSTON — Joel Embiid talked with reporters Wednesday morning for the first time since April 20.
He had a great reason to do so; the newly minted MVP reflected on his path to the award following the Sixers’ shootaround at TD Garden.
Still, there were pertinent items to discuss besides the big picture. Among them was the question of whether Embiid planned to return Wednesday night from his right knee sprain in Game 2 after the Sixers seized a 1-0 second-round series lead Monday against the Celtics behind James Harden’s 45 points.
“It’s tough,” Embiid said of his injury. “But like I said, my life is a movie. Everything happens for a reason. Every single year, it’s always something freaky happening, and that’s OK. That’s another challenge on the way to getting to where I want to. Obviously, it’s hard dealing with another injury, but when something like that happens, you’ve got about a day to be kind of sad or whatever, and (then) start to go back to work, rehab, and make sure you do everything possible to be sure you’re back out on the court.
“Obviously, it’s earlier than what we thought considering what I had, but I’m just glad to be able to go up and down and kind of see how it feels. So we’re going to take it day by day and see how it feels, and go from there.”
ESPN and The Athletic reported Wednesday morning that Embiid is on track to play Game 2 “barring any setbacks.”
He was again present at shootaround.
However, Embiid did not provide a clear-cut “Yes” on the subject of his availability.
“It’s a possibility,” he said, “just like it was a possibility for the first game, but I’m going to listen to those guys and see what they have to say — the doctors. Obviously, I want to play. Everybody knows me, I love being on the court and I love to play, so if there’s a possibility and I’ve got the green light, then we’re going to go ahead.
“But like I said, we’re just going to talk about it. I feel pretty good. … Last game, I felt like we had a huge opportunity and we were going to win. And tonight, whether I play or not, I believe in those guys. Anything can happen and I think we’ve got a huge chance to win the game.”
Embiid was still listed as doubtful on the NBA’s official injury report as of Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Sixers head coach Doc Rivers said that Embiid did some running Tuesday for the first time since his injury, and that the team would closely monitor how he responded to that workout.
“That’s the whole key,” Rivers said Tuesday. “That’s why we’re doing it. You have to do it the day before to see if the next day, there’s increased swelling. Then, even if he feels good, it’s a no. So that’s what we’ll have to find out tomorrow.”
Embiid’s trajectory continues to appear positive, although he’s aware that adjusting back to live action in a high-stakes playoff game won’t necessarily be a complete breeze.
“At some point, I’ll add what I can and be as 100 percent as I can be, but I’m sure I can make a difference,” Embiid said. “I’m just going to have to figure out where I can help. And that’s going to be the easy part because we know how to play with each other. … So it’s going to be easy to get back into it.
“For myself, I just have to let the game come to me whenever I come back. I haven’t really done anything the last two weeks, so I think the biggest key for me is not pushing anything and letting the game come to me.”
