The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Chicago Bulls thanks in large part to Joel Embiid’s outstanding performance. Hopefully, it was the start of an extended period of play.
Although his problematic left knee is still a problem, Embiid was more agile in the Sixers’ 108-100 victory, their fourth in five games, and his first game back after missing seven games. In addition to four assists and two blocks, he recorded game-highs of 31 points and 12 rebounds. He resembled his former self more or less, even if he had six assists and 0–5 from beyond the arc. Due to the knee issue he has been dealing with all season, it seemed like such a strong performance was still a ways off.
Embiid told ESPN’s Tim Bontemps following the victory in Chicago that he has found it “depressing” to deal with this persistent issue.
“Just attempting to solve it. No one is hurt. We need to sort it out just between the swelling. “That is all,” Embiid told ESPN. For the past few months, I have been stating this. It’s been quite gloomy. I would love to play every game, but it’s something that hasn’t been figured out and it’s been really aggravating.
Joel Embiid is still addressing his knee problems.
Embiid hasn’t held back when talking about the psychological suffering brought on by his recent knee problems. He has had to rebuild his confidence in addition to his knee’s strength. It appears from his performance against the Bulls that he is improving. He demonstrated his ability to play fiercely by posting up and hunting for jumpers at the nail after taking it easy during a five-minute shift in the first quarter.
Only five of the Sixers’ first twenty-one games have featured Embiid. In his previous two games, he has begun to resemble himself more, although his knee issues don’t appear to be over yet. Embiid will have to do his best to handle it on the spot if he is unable to completely shed them. To make his on-court duties easier, the Sixers must counteract their current momentum and maintain it.
