I requested Embiid if the urgency of the 2-8 begin, and the ticking down of his prime years, is pushing him to return again sooner reasonably than working by means of the common season extra slowly, as had been the long-term plan. He recalled his rookie season, after he’d missed two years rehabbing following a number of foot surgical procedures. Embiid roared out of the gate, profitable Rookie of the Yr honors — though the Sixers held him out of all however one recreation of the second half of the season. “We were still really competitive,” he said of what became a 28-54 season. “And even that year, if they would have let me finish the year, I thought we actually had a chance of making the playoffs. So, urgency, sure. But you’ve also got to understand, we haven’t been healthy. All people’s getting again. Like I mentioned, primarily based on the way it’s gone the final couple of years, with us on the ground (collectively), I feel we’ve received a reasonably good likelihood.” -via New York Times / November 13, 2024
