National Basketball Association

Embiid Not Likely to Get Minutes Restriction Increased This Season

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 7:20 p.m. ET

Fansided, Josh Wilson/FanSided via The Sixer Sense

Joel Embiid is likely not going to see his minutes restriction bumped up from the 28 minutes he’s currently seeing for the Philadelphia 76ers this season

This year has been all about Joel Embiid for the Philadelphia 76ers. The 7-foot-2 Cameroonian that finally debuted for the Sixers this season after missing his first two years due to injury has been tearing it up, and proving that he was worth waiting for for the Sixers.

Embiid fits into the category of new-age big men, as a center that can not only rock the paint, but can also hit jumpers from beyond the 3-point arc. He has made the Sixers better by a mile on both ends of the floor, so to have him out and playing is important.

The only trouble is that the medical staff has kept him on game and minutes restrictions. Embiid is not allowed to play in back-to-back games, and he’s also not allowed to play more than 28 minutes per game.

Brett Brown was asked on Tuesday whether or not that minutes restriction would increase at any point, and his answer was a bit disappointing for Sixers fans, indicating that he likely will be staying at 28 minutes until the season is over.

#Sixers Brown: 'I don't believe there is' a possibility Embiid's minutes increase from 28 minutes this season.

— Tom Moore (@tmoore76ers) January 17, 2017

We shouldn’t be too upset with this, because Embiid has — despite his hard play for all minutes he’s given — shown some signs of exhaustion as games have gone on. The 28 minutes is very high comparing him to other rookies around the league, and it’s more than a lot of fans were expecting the medical staff to clear him for coming into this season.

Whether or not we see Embiid’s minutes increased next season is highly unknown, but at the rate he’s improving and staying healthy, there’s a fair chance that the medical staff — especially after a summer of working with him — will clear him for something closer to 35 minutes per game.

For now, though, we’ll just have to settle for 28 minutes per game.