With the Philadelphia 76ers getting set to officially resume the 2019-20 season on Saturday against the Indiana Pacers, a lot of eyes are on the right calf of Joel Embiid. The Sixers star big man had to miss the final two scrimmage games due to tightness in the right calf and there were concerns about his availability.
The Sixers expect him to play on Saturday against Indiana and the plan is still going to try and get him around the 38 minutes per game that coach Brett Brown wants him to play in the playoffs. They will continue to build him up to that level, but they will also do it the right way and they want him healthy.
“There’s going to be zero that I think or do that puts whatever number that I spoke about as it relates to minutes in the playoffs at any level of risk for Joel,” said Brown. “We hope to be here for a long time and incrementally moving him toward a direction that you could understand as it relates to the minutes, I hope to do that but it will not be anything that’s reckless or done without direction from the people that we pay to give that type of advice.”
The Sixers do not have any success in this resumption without Embiid being at his best and playing a high number of minutes. The Sixers will have to be smart with him, but they also need to get him the court time to be ready for this upcoming playoff run. [lawrence-related id=35824,35808,35811]