With Joel Embiid being questionable to play against Miami on Monday with an illness, I think it’s time to raise some questions about Embiid’s health behind the scenes. Many cited the weight loss of Embiid to be an indicator of him taking his health seriously. Given the fact he’s only played in two out of a possible 12 games, some might say otherwise. Some of the missed games may be related to the Sixers wanting to reserve Embiid for April, or Kawhi Leonard’s situation with the Clippers could hint at a more serious issue regarding Embiid’s health.
Should Kawhi’s Situation Worry Fans About Embiid’s Health?
The Clippers’ handling of Kawhi
Chris Haynes reported on October 24th that former Clippers’ strength and conditioning coach as well as personal trainer of Kawhi Leonard, Randy Shelton, would be suing the Clippers’ organization. Shelton is accusing the Clippers of mistreating Kawhi’s injuries since becoming a Clipper and disregarding his recovery process.Shelton said that Leonard was given biologics for treatment and continued playing after an MRI showed cartilage damage to his knee at the beginning of the 2022-23 season. The Clippers are also accused of allowing Leonard to return just six games after suffering two ruptured ligaments in his right ankle on November 21st of the same season. With Kawhi remaining sidelined, the accusations seem to perhaps be justified. Kawhi has yet to practice with the team, which indicates that he’s not remotely close to making a season debut.
For Embiid to have only played two games so far this season, is pretty worrisome. While speaking with the media on November 1, Embiid made it clear that he didn’t reinjure himself during the offseason.
“No, I had surgery in February, and then I came back early to fight for the team…still managing since the last surgery, just managing and trying to figure out the best approach, but I feel pretty good.”
After playing in the Olympics and starting in all but one game, you would think that the former MVP would be ready to go by the start of the season. But such wasn’t the case. Similar to Kawhi’s current situation, little was disclosed about Embiid’s “left knee management”. That could be hinting at a much bigger issue occurring behind the scenes.
Embiid Cleared To Play In The Olympics
Like Leonard, Embiid would elect to play for Team USA in the 2024 Olympics. Unlike Leonard, Embiid would actually participate in the Olympics, as the Clippers felt it was best for Kawhi to pass on the Olympics, and focus on preparing for the season. Despite not playing his best, the former MVP would show his impact with a 19-point semifinals performance against Serbia. Many fans became excited for the season after the big man’s Olympic performance. But Embiid wouldn’t see the floor for the 76ers until November 12. The Sixers and Embiid attribute the missed games to being safe regarding his health.
Many Sixers fans have questioned why the Sixers would allow Embiid to play in the Olympics. If managing his knee was the number one priority, why was he good enough to play for Team USA, but not good enough to start the season? Not to mention, the league fined the Sixers $100,000 for “misrepresenting the health status” of Embiid earlier this season. Now it’s possible that Philly could just be managing Embiid’s knee. And it’s possible that the accusations against the Clippers are not true. But seeing the history of teams not prioritizing the health of players, like Kawhi and the Spurs or Kevin Durant’s calf strain with the Warriors, it’s certainly not out of the realm of possibility.
