Joel Embiid wants to be more than a regular season player: "I need to be healthy in the playoffs"

Joel Embiid has been one of the best basketball players in the world for a few years now. He was the NBA MVP in the 2022/23 season, has been the league's top scorer twice, but he has yet to achieve the ultimate goal of every great superstar in the world of the orange ball, the championship ring.

Embiid has never even reached a Conference Finals, something he aims to change this year. With the arrival of Paul George and a year of experience under Nick Nurse's leadership, the Philadelphia 76ers have reasons to believe they can make a statement this season.

"It's going to be tough... They know that if they need to hit me, slap me, take my stuff so I don't step onto the court, they'll have to do it. It might get me angry, I might insult people, but I think it's a relationship. We've been working together for years. Now I see the big picture, and I've always listened to them, but now it's even more about listening and seeing what they have to say."

"(Basketball operations president, Daryl Morey) would tell you this: As soon as we lost last year, I sent him a message and said, 'We have to do whatever it takes to make sure I'm healthy for the postseason.'"

"This year, there is no agenda — no All-Star, no All-NBA, none of that. It's about doing whatever it takes to make sure I get to that point and be ready. In practically every year of my career, I've been injured in the playoffs. I think that's the goal. It's about doing whatever it takes to get there. Physically, I'm fine. I'm not where I want to be, and I know I have their support and that everyone wants the same. Until I'm at that point where they feel I'm ready, I'm sure they'll hold me back. Like I said, the focus is on doing whatever it takes to reach that stage and be healthy. I believe with the guys we have and what I can contribute, we have a good chance."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Joel Embiid quiere ser más que un jugador de temporada regular: "Tengo que estar saludable en playoffs"