Sixers' Ben Simmons Speaks Highly of Joel Embiid's Conditioning
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has taken a lot of heat over the years for his shape. As the big man has struggled with injuries and his conditioning early on in his career, Embiid looked to change the narrative this year.
During the offseason, Embiid did more than just hitting the gym to work on his game. The veteran center went ahead and hired a personal chef, massage therapist, physical therapist, and nutritionist. However, Embiid didn't do all that, just with hopes of silencing his critics this year. He did all that because he wants longevity in the NBA.
"[I have to focus on my body] so I'm able to play 20 years here in Philly," Embiid said weeks ago. "That's the thing I've learned the most since I've been in the league. It was a short time between the end of this past season and this new season, but it's a work in progress. You gotta start somewhere, but it's been going great, and I'm still learning every day."
So far this season, Embiid's hard work has paid off. Although it's still early in the year, the big man has remained relatively healthy outside of one game and hasn't looked gassed yet on the floor as Doc Rivers' system picked up the pace this year.
"I feel great," Embiid said last week. "I don't worry about what the media says. I've been having a good offseason, making sure I'm working on my body by working with nutritionists, chefs, my massage therapist. I'm gonna be ready every single night. I want to be able to play every single game."
Embiid feels his hard work is paying off, and his teammates are noticing. After Embiid checked in for 36 minutes on Saturday night in the win over the Charlotte Hornets, Sixers All-Star Ben Simmons acknowledged the big man's hard work as he mentioned that Embiid has put in a lot of work to get in shape.
"[Joel Embiid] works his [expletive] off in terms of being in shape and being able to run the floor every game," Simmons said on Saturday night. "When he does that, I feel like we're unstoppable. Guys wanna play at that pace, and I think we can. I don't know how much faster we can play, but we're going to keep pushing the limits."
In the past, Embiid visibly struggled to keep up with the pace Simmons plays at. Now that the three-time All-Star focused solely on getting his body right so he can avoid fatigue, Embiid has managed to keep up with the high-pace offense, which not only has the 76ers succeeding as a team -- but also has Embiid having himself a dominant season as well so far.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_
