Doc Rivers Expects Sixers Center Joel Embiid to Play vs. Celtics Wednesday
Injuries and COVID-related setbacks have made the start to the 2020-2021 NBA season difficult for the Philadelphia 76ers. Just as the team started getting healthier late last week, more injuries began to pile on before the Sixers traveled to Memphis on Friday.
Sixers starting center Joel Embiid did not make the trip to Memphis or Oklahoma City this past weekend. Instead, the veteran big man remained in Philly to undergo individualized treatment and training as he dealt with knee pain in the matchup against the Miami Heat last Thursday.
While Embiid's absence was clearly concerning, a source clarified that the setback is nothing serious. Sixers head coach Doc Rivers confirmed that much on Saturday as he addressed the media during a pregame press conference ahead of the team's matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies.
"There's no concern," Rivers stated before Saturday night's matchup against the Grizzlies. "When something pops up, we're going to jump on it, and we're going to be very smart [about it] this early in the season. We want him to play as many games as he can play, but again, we have to be smart. It is a long season. We want everybody -- not just Joel -- we want everybody to be healthy when we get to the playoffs."
On Tuesday, the Sixers returned to their training facility in Camden, New Jersey, for practice, and Rivers confirmed Embiid was a part of the session. While he can't say for sure if Embiid will definitely play on Wednesday against the Boston Celtics or not, Rivers mentioned he expects Embiid to be good to go.
"He was in and out of practice today," Rivers explained on Tuesday. "We didn't let him do a lot of stuff, but he looked pretty good." The Sixers are set to take on the Boston Celtics for the first time this season on Wednesday night. Embiid's playing status isn't officially confirmed, but it seems that the veteran center will get the green light to go barring any surprise setbacks.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_
