Joel Embiid is having to learn to trust his body again and he accepts it will take time.
Embiid made his regular-season debut last night as the Philadelphia 76ers lost to the New York Knicks 111-99 after a layoff that, while including a three-game ban for pushing a reporter, was largely due to him managing a left knee injury.
He looked rusty on his return but still managed 13 points, including 8-from-8 from the three-point line. He later admitted he was struggling to push off on his left leg but claimed he could still be effective while he regained confidence.
final.@cryptocom pic.twitter.com/lG0UyKeO93
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) November 13, 2024
He told reporters: “It’s all about confidence and trusting myself.
“Pushing off … I talked about it a couple weeks ago when I talked to you guys, that’s the mental hurdle that I got to get to. But I think I can still be pretty good even without that, which I’m going to get to at some point.
“I don’t know when. Might be next game, might be in two games … [but] usually get it back pretty fast, so I’m fine.”
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Philly continue to struggle
The 76ers need Embiid to reclaim his best form as soon as possible after slumping to 2-8 for the season.
Their start has been derailed by injuries, not only to Embiid but also Paul George and Tyrese Maxey.
Embiid added: “I think it’s all about us just getting on the floor together, learning how to play with each other.
“But health is a big thing. I’m back, PG is feeling pretty good, now we need to get Tyrese back, and once we’re all on the floor, I think we’re going to have a pretty good chance to win some games.”
👏 SOUTH PHILLY MAKE SOME NOISE! 👏 pic.twitter.com/kWWEOpxh3n
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) November 13, 2024
George impresses in defeat
George poured in 29 points against the Knicks and he was also confident Philly’s fortunes will improve when they can get their star names on the court.
“The season’s long,” he said. “I do think once we get all of our pieces together we will start making strides in the right direction. We’ll start to get some consistency and the chemistry will continue to take off. Right now, it’s Joel’s [Embiid] first game back, Tyrese [Maxey] is still out, so we’ve yet to see this team complete. Those are big pieces for us.
“We’re all trying to do a little more than we’re supposed to be doing, which is okay because we’re trying to fill in big voids and big gaps, but once we’re full strength I think that’s when we can judge how we are.”
