Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid Needs a Night Off Soon

Following a back-to-back set of losses in Golden State and Phoenix, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid claims he will need to take a game off sometime soon.

Lately, Embiid’s been reliable in the availability department, playing in 16 of the Sixers' 17 games back from the All-Star break. Although he’s been dealing with calf tightness since last Wednesday’s game against the Chicago Bulls, Embiid managed to play in Friday and Saturday’s back-to-back set.

Before the Sixers went into the All-Star break last month, Embiid made it a goal of his to play as many games as possible, including back-to-backs after the break. At this point, he’s seven games away from tying his career-high of 68 games played, which he achieved last year.

While Embiid seems committed to reaching his goal, he’s also being realistic with himself. With a playoff spot guaranteed once again for the Sixers, Embiid is focused on the bigger picture. And in order to make it to the playoffs as healthy as possible, Embiid needs to monitor his fatigue.

Therefore, the big man is likely to have a night off sooner than later.

“I’m going to need one [game off] pretty soon,” Embiid said on Saturday, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “It’s two things. Like I said, it’s all about [being healthy] for the playoffs. You know, like tonight, I was very sloppy. Usually when I’m sluggish and sloppy that means I’m tired. I’ve been playing a lot of minutes, I’ve been playing every single game. So to add to that, dealing with the calf and whatever the foot, I think at some point you gotta look at the bigger picture, which is the playoffs, obviously.”

In the game following his battle with calf tightness, Embiid didn’t look bothered at all as he produced 46 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, two steals, and one block in 38 minutes of action against the Golden State Warriors on Friday.

During Saturday’s game against the Phoenix Suns, however, Embiid saw the court for 32 minutes. He had what Doc Rivers considered a “human night” by Embiid’s standards as the big man accounted for 28 points, ten rebounds, four assists, and two blocks.

With just eight games left to go, Embiid seems to look forward to getting some rest at some point. On Monday, the Sixers will wrap up their tough four-game road trip in Denver. Then, they’ll close out the week with two-straight games at home before hitting the road to Milwaukee.

When Embiid takes his rest is currently unknown, but it will have to be sometime soon to avoid fatigue when the games truly matter the most.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.