Joel Embiid, frustrated by Wednesday’s exclusion, sidelined once more.
PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid, who will be absent for the game against the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night, expressed his frustration on Friday regarding the Philadelphia 76ers management for not permitting him to participate in the game against Washington on Wednesday.
He is out for Saturday’s matchup due to “right oblique; injury management; (and) illness.” Throughout the season, he has not participated in both games of any back-to-back schedule.
Embiid was declared inactive on Wednesday because of an illness. In response to a reporter’s social media post that indicated his absence, he stated that he intended to play. He later commented, “I guess they won’t let me play basketball.”
Following a 115-103 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, Embiid voiced his dissatisfaction with Daryl Morey, the president of basketball operations for the 76ers.
“I was upset. I wanted to play basketball,” Embiid remarked. “I wasn’t permitted to play basketball, so I believe this is more of a question for Daryl Morey or whoever is responsible for the decisions.”
Embiid recorded 26 points in 34 minutes during a loss to Miami on Monday. Although he was not included on the injury report, he informed reporters that he was unwell. “Physically, I just was not in it.”
He mentioned that he had a brief night’s sleep before Wednesday’s 153-131 victory over the Wizards and missed a morning film session, after which he was ruled out.
“I discovered online that I wasn’t playing that night,” Embiid stated. “That really caught me off guard.”
Embiid was marked as doubtful on Thursday’s injury report for the game against Minnesota, but he played 34 minutes, accumulating 19 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists.
Sixers coach Nick Nurse indicated that he was not worried about the situation, commending Embiid for his performance on Friday.
“We manage it by keeping everything basketball-related,” Nurse said on Saturday prior to the game against the Pistons. “He was at shootaround yesterday; he performed excellently in the game yesterday, was truly a great teammate and focused and all that stuff yesterday. So we just aim to keep it all basketball-focused.”
Embiid has participated in 37 games this season, primarily sidelined due to injury management concerning his knees. He is averaging 26.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game.
The 32-year-old center missed 13 games after straining his right oblique on February 26 against Miami.
