Joel Embiid Says His Minutes Restriction Is 'F*cking Bullsh*t'

Joel Embiid is not thrilled with his minutes restriction.

Joel Embiid sits on the bench.
USA Today Sports

Image via USA Today Sports/Bill Streicher

Joel Embiid sits on the bench.

Since being drafted in 2014, Joel Embiid has missed more than two-and-a-half of his first three seasons in the NBA, but has still showed enough promise in that very limited time for the 76ers to grant him a five-year deal worth $148 million. That should tell you something about his talent level, or the Sixers' front office (or both).

Still, because of that combination of fragility and investment, Philadelphia will have Embiid on a strict minutes limit for the start of the season that's set to begin *checks watch* today. It's not yet clear what that specific limit will be, but coach Brett Brown said that it would be a number "somewhere...in the teens." Embiid added that he thinks the figure currently sits at 16.

Not surprisingly for someone who's sat around for a couple of years, Embiid doesn't sound too thrilled about it. On Monday he told reporters that he was frustrated with the organization's decision and, on Tuesday, he kicked it up a notch by telling Philly Voice reporter (and ex-Complex writer) Kyle Neubeck that he thinks the decision is "fucking bullshit," you know, in case you couldn't figure out where we were going with that censored headline.

He added that he knew the team doctors had everyone's best interests in mind, but that he just wanted to be on the floor more:

In his short playing career Embiid has suffered severe injuries to his knee, back and (especially) his right foot. Honestly, we can easily understand why extreme caution is being used here. Anyway, if this exchange interests you (or if you're a Philly fan desperately waiting for the process to run its course) you can check out the entire Q&A here.

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