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It’s safe to say NBA Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett is not a fan of Joel Embiid’s strategy of not playing in back-to-backs during the upcoming season.
“Eighty-two games, man. This is what the f–king job calls for,” Garnett said. “You’re not practicing, you’re not even playing a whole f–king, you don’t play in the summer? … I don’t want to hear that s–t, man. I don’t want to hear none of that s–t. Motherf–ker can sit out of back-to-backs?”
Legion Hoops @LegionHoops
Kevin Garnett goes off after hearing Joel Embiid’s decision to sit out of back-to-backs:
“82 games, man, this is what the fu***** job calls for.”
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The comments come after Embiid and Philadelphia president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said the big man likely won’t play in back-to-backs, per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps in a story published Monday.
“If I had to guess,” Embiid said, “I would probably never play back-to-backs the rest of my career.”
Morey added, “We’re going to be smart about it. Part of being smart about it is having both Paul [George] and Joel probably not play many back-to-backs, if any.”
Injuries have been a constant theme in Embiid’s career, as he has never played more than 68 games since entering the league as the No. 3 overall pick of the 2014 NBA draft. He also sat out his first two seasons with a foot injury and appeared in just 39 games last season.
With the NBA’s rule requiring players to appear in at least 65 games to be eligible for major awards such as MVP, it will be difficult for Embiid to add significant individual hardware to his resume moving forward if he doesn’t start playing in more games.
As for Garnett, he played all 82 games in four different seasons and appeared in at least 71 in 12 of his first 13 seasons. He was known for his durability during his peak and became one of the best players of his generation as a result.
There is no questioning Embiid’s status as one of the best players in the current game, but the NBA legend is among those wishing the 76ers big man was on the court more often.
