Even after triple-double, Embiid believes he has more to give

Through three games, Joel Embiid has been healthy and available.

That wouldn’t be notable for most players, but Embiid didn’t play all three of the first three games of the 2024-25 or 2025-2026 seasons.

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While he’s not likely to play Sunday in the Sixers’ second leg of their home back-to-back against the Detroit Pistons, it won’t be for lack of trying.

“I have no idea,” Embiid said when asked about the plan to play him Saturday. “I actually want to play tomorrow, so can you guys put pressure on them?”

Embiid relented a little, understanding there are still 79 games to go and greater goals ahead.

“I don’t know. You’d have to ask them, but obviously you get three days off,” he said. “Could have been two, but you get three days off. It doesn’t really matter. It’s all about the beginning of the season. It’s going well, so I guess more time you can get to recover, the better, and then get used to it.”

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Still, Embiid couldn’t help himself.

“But yeah, I want to play tomorrow, so start writing articles. Put pressure on them so they let me play,” he said playfully.

It makes sense Embiid would want to keep things rolling. He put up a triple-double in the team’s 127-116 win over the Milwaukee Bucks Saturday, moving the Sixers to 3-0 on the young season.

Embiid’s performances have been a mixed bag — unsurprising, as Embiid is a notorious slow starter and still needs to adjust to his new superstar teammates, LeBron James and Jaylen Brown. On the one hand, he’s looked better physically than he has in two years and is contributing to winning. On the other hand, he’s still not moving like his former MVP self and is still feeling out his place in a new offensive ecosystem.

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After a poor shooting performance on opening night, Embiid has been much more efficient in his last two games. He was 8-for-20 against the Bucks, but did have an outstanding stretch in the fourth quarter, being the team’s offensive hub. He seemed to make the right plays consistently throughout the night. His 10th assist came at a great time as Brown nailed a three late in the game to extend a shrinking lead back to six.

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Publish date : 2026-10-25 15:17:00

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