Joel Embiid injury update: Philadelphia 76ers star felt "better than expected" in win over Pistons
Joel Embiid has officially returned to the court against the Detroit Pistons in their Tuesday night matchup. Embiid was dealing with a sore left foot and missed the three games prior. Now that he's back, it appears that the Philadelphia 76ers star's injury won't be a problem moving forward. Embiid played only three quarters and sat out the entire fourth quarter while still managing to score 36 points.
The big man was ecstatic to be back and surprised by the way he performed despite the setback. Even Sixers coach Doc Rivers was confident in his superstar and didn't worry about his foot injury getting in the way.
Embiid and Rivers on the big man's performance despite his sore foot:
“Better than expected,” said Embiid.
“He was fine,” said Doc Rivers. “He was good. He had his speed back. The fastest I’ve ever seen him run was in the third quarter. I think he knew he had like three minutes left before he came out.”
Joel Embiid suffered the same injury earlier this season. The press asked him if his recent sore foot was any different from the previous one. Embiid wasn't entirely sure about their differences. But all he knew was that what mattered most was that he'd be able to manage the injury.
“The one that I had earlier in the year landing on someone’s foot,” Embiid clarified. “I don’t know if I did the same thing, but it’s about the same thing so you just got to manage it and basically go based on feeling and stuff.”
Joel Embiid comes back strong from injury
The Philadelphia 76ers annihilated the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night, 147-116. The matchup between the two teams was also the night Joel Embiid returned. Doc Rivers only made him play three quarters because he wanted to observe Embiid's injury. Luckily, the Sixers were dominant all game long and didn't need him in the fourth quarter.
Joel Embiid played 24 minutes in three quarters and still managed to have a double-double outing. He put up 36 points and 11 rebounds while shooting 60% from the field. Given his dominance despite the restricted playing time he was allotted, it's safe to say that fans shouldn't worry about his injury getting in the way.