76ers' Doc Rivers: Joel Embiid Had Offseason Foot Injury That Affected Conditioning

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid didn't play like his normal self in Thursday's loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, and there may be a reason for that.

Sixers head coach Doc Rivers told reporters Friday that Embiid dealt with plantar fasciitis leading up to training camp, which impacted his normal training and conditioning program, per Noah Levick of NBC Sports Philadelphia:

"He had a little plantar fasciitis before the season started—before training camp—and that took him off his conditioning program. And so he's back on that. But listen, he's playing with the right intentions. He just didn't play well, and that's OK, too. That's going to happen. We've still got to win those games."

The Sixers fell to 0-2 with Thursday's 90-88 loss to the Bucks. Embiid finished with 15 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and one block in about 36 minutes. He made 6-of-21 shots from the floor and 1-of-3 shots from deep in an uncharacteristic performance.

It's not necessarily surprising to hear Rivers mention that Embiid's offseason training was impacted due to injury. The veteran big man alluded to some hiccups in his conditioning following the team's final preseason game on Oct. 12.

"I'm feeling OK," Embiid said, per Levick. "I'm still working my way back. I've had an on-and-off summer as far as being able to really do stuff on the basketball court. But I've got four, five days to be ready, and I'll be ready."

In addition to plantar fasciitis, Embiid had to work his way back from surgery on his right thumb and a procedure on his left index finger in May. He also had to recover from a right orbital fracture and concussion suffered during the 2022 playoffs.

It's worth noting that Embiid had a solid game in Philadelphia's season-opening loss to the Boston Celtics, finishing with 26 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and one block in 37 minutes. He made 9-of-18 shots from the floor and 1-of-6 shots from deep.

Embiid will surely return to form as the season rolls on. He's coming off a 2021-22 campaign that saw him average 30.6 points, 11.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.5 blocks en route to an All-Star selection and second-place finish in MVP voting.

The Sixers will aim for their first win of the season on Saturday against the San Antonio Spurs.