Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid shared an update on his knees and oblique after Wednesday's win against the Chicago Bulls.
Philadelphia 76ers superstar center Joel Embiid made his return from injury on Wednesday against the Chicago Bulls.
Embiid missed the past 13 games due to a right oblique strain, but clearly that didn't prevent him from dominating versus Chicago. He finished the game with 35 points, seven assists, and six rebounds on 70.6% shooting and 3 of 3 shooting from three-point range in just 28 minutes of action.
After the matchup, Embiid provided reporters with an important injury update on the health of his knees as well as his oblique.
"My knees haven’t been an issue for a long time. That’s past me," Embiid said, per PHLY Sixers. "The oblique was very tricky, and it still is tricky. Really nothing you can do about it, gotta let it ride and hope it doesn’t get worse."
It's huge to hear Embiid go on record saying his knees are no longer an issue. For so long, the seven-time All-Star was plagued by knee injuries, which often prevented the 76ers from having a shot at making a deep postseason run.
Now, there's a real chance Philadelphia upsets its first-round opponent if it makes it to the playoffs at full strength.
Embiid also spoke in detail about his oblique injury, saying, "Really painful, really painful. Can't cough, can't sneeze. Every time you sneeze, it feels like you go right back to where you started. Still not where it's supposed to be... It's really painful."
Despite the team not being at full strength, the 76ers were still able to dominate the Bulls and walk away with a 20-point victory. This victory should be a huge morale boost for the locker room, as it goes to show what they're capable of once Tyrese Maxey and Kelly Oubre Jr. return.
While it's clear Embiid is not at 100%, he clearly doesn't need to be to take over a game as he did on Wednesday against the Bulls.
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