Coach Nick Nurse's Philadelphia 76ers were 6-1 on the season heading into November 2's home game against the Chicago Bulls and riding high in the latest NBA Power Rankings. Star center Joel Embiid found himself on the injury report as fans wondered if he'd play or not.
Nurse addressed Embiid's right plantar fasciitis injury in comments shared by Dave Uram of SPORTSRADIO 94WIP.
“Plantar's a little bit of a come-and-go type of thing, so they're just trying to manage it, it's very painful, it can kinda come-and-go outta nowhere, so just trying to manage the pain of that,” Nurse said when asked if there is a concern about the situation.
Embiid has missed two games this season and has averaged 35.2 minutes in the games he has played, averaging 19.2 points per game but shooting an uncharacteristically low 40 percent from the field. He ranks third on Nurse's team in scoring behind Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown, and slightly ahead of LeBron James, who is scoring nearly three points less per game.
Article Continues BelowThe Sixers have found an intriguing level of balance and effectiveness on offense even with Embiid ailing. Plantar fasciitis is the type of injury that can last for months on end, which will put pressure on Embiid to learn how to play at a slower pace at times. Nurse, for his part, is embracing the bumps in the road that come with the frustrating injury, while leaning on Brown and Maxey to carry the load.
The Sixers have outrageously good depth heading toward the end of the calendar year, meaning they can afford to keep Embiid out for the time being if they deem more rest to be necessary.