Nick Nurse reveals 'ramping up' plan for Joel Embiid, key veterans in training camp
10/01/2024 02:31 PM
Training camp is underway for the Philadelphia 76ers in The Bahamas. Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Paul George and company are excited to get to work and prepare for the season. As much excitement as there is to jump right into it, the Sixers are also exercising caution.
Nick Nurse said that Embiid "went through everything live" besides scrimmages on the first practice of training camp. The 76ers head coach noted that a few other veterans were also held out of scrimmages. "Rampingupisone thing to get them to a point.Overdoingit isanotherthing you’re trying to notdo," he said, adding that managing Embiid is "certainly important."
Nick Nurse says the process of managing Joel Embiid's workload starts with Day 1 of training camp: "Went through everything live to a point today, just stopped at the scrimmaging part"
Nurse said several older veterans also sat out of scrimmaging portion: pic.twitter.com/vn6KN1aiAD
— PHLY Sixers (@PHLY_Sixers) October 1, 2024
Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports noted that Kyle Lowry and Eric Gordon were the other veterans who did not scrimmage. Embiid’s health is the most important factor in the Sixers’ entire season, so bringing him along slower in training camp after he played in the Olympics for the first time makes sense.
76ers begin 2024 training camp in The Bahamas
The downside of Joel Embiid pushing himself to his absolute limit was made clear last season, when he was put right back in the lineup after missing a game with knee soreness, labored through most of the game and injured his meniscus, which cost him 29 straight games. The 76ers’ goals are too big and their offseason was too bountiful to let it all go to waste. Careful maintenance of Embiid’s body is important.
At media day, 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said that the team is going to "bereallysmart" about managing Embiid’s workload. He said that the Sixers "have quite a few guys who we think we need to be smart about how we manage ’em through the season while still maintaining a high level of play and keep the eye on the prize as we do that." It makes sense for the 38-year-old Lowry and 35-year-old Gordon to be among this group.
Embiid is focusing more on preparing his body for the season, saying at media day that he lost 25 to 30 pounds. The big man is tired of being injured by the time the playoffs roll around, he said, and he is working in lockstep with the team to do everything he can to stay healthy.
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