76ers' Joel Embiid Talks Frustration With Shorter Stints amid Minutes Restriction

Joel Embiid spoke about the difficulty of navigating his season-opening minutes restriction after helping the Philadelphia 76ers win their home opener over the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night.

Embiid, who is making his return from offseason knee surgery, put up 20 points in Saturday's win despite being limited to just 20 minutes on the court.

"I'd rather not minute restrictions, but I'd rather get it out of the way," Embiid said Saturday. "The longer I sit, the shorter stints, you don't get in a rhythm. You play two, three minutes, and you've got to get out. Two or three, up and down? That's literally nothing. I might as well just stay home and be with my family."

"Longer stints, you'll actually be able to let the game come to you. But then again, longer stints also means you might be done by halftime. But I can't sit for too long... being in shape is one thing, but being in basketball shape is another thing. You need to play, and you need to play a lot."

Embiid concluded, "I guess I trust them, and until I'm over it, I'm going to keep trying."

Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said Friday he doesn't know when Embiid will be approved to play more than 20 minutes per game.

"Until I hear differently, I assume it's that, but it could slide at any time," Nurse said Friday about the 20-minute limit (h/t Sixers Wire's Ky Carlin).

Embiid was asked Saturday if he had any idea as to the timeline in which he could expect his minutes to climb.

"I have no idea. I make my case every day," Embiid answered. "If they listen to me, good. If they don't, I guess that's on them."

During the Sixers' Wednesday season opener against the Celtics, Embiid hit the 20-minute mark with 9:18 left in the fourth quarter. At the time he had scored just four points on 1-for-9 shooting from the field.

Embiid exited the game with the Sixers behind by 10 points and watched from the sideline as VJ Edgecombe, Quentin Grimes and Tyrese Maxey powered the 76ers to a 117-116 comeback win.

After taking longer shifts in Saturday's matchup with the Hornets, Embiid hit 20 minutes with more than seven minutes remaining in the third quarter. This time, he left having shot 7-for-11 from the field and 3-for-6 from deep.

For the second game in a row, Embiid watched from the sideline as his team completed a fourth-quarter comeback victory.

Given Embiid's success Saturday night against the Hornets, the Sixers could consider continuing to give him longer shifts that sideline him earlier in games.

Embiid was limited to just 19 games amid multiple injuries last season, and he hasn't ever played in more than 68 games in a single season. That injury history will likely lead the Sixers to continue exercising caution with their star center's workload, especially over this early stretch.

Barring any further updates, the 76ers will expect to get another 20 minutes from Embiid when the team returns to action Monday night against the visiting Orlando Magic.