Embiid: If Sixers say to rest, ‘I should listen’

Nassau, Bahamas — joel embiid knows philadelphia 76ers‘The medical staff is going to ask him to rest more than he wants at times this season. And while he said Thursday he may not like that message, he understands it’s the right thing to do to achieve his goal of staying healthy through the playoffs.

“It’s going to be tough,” Embiid said after the team’s third practice at a beach resort as part of a five-day training camp in the Bahamas to begin its season.

“They know that if they have to punch me, slap me, take my stuff away from me (so) I don’t have to go to that court, then they have to do that,” he said with a smile. “I can be angry, I can curse at people, but I think it’s a relationship. We’ve been working together for years. Now I see the bigger picture, and I’ve always listened to him, but Now it’s like most of the time I have to listen and see what they have to say.”

Embiid is slowly preparing himself for the start of the season. He missed a large portion of last season due to a knee injury, then played with Team USA until mid-August and helped the Americans claim their fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal.

On Monday, Embiid said he has Lost “25 to 30” pounds Hoping to lose some more weight before training camp and to better manage the rigors of the NBA season.

Of course, the focus is on winning an NBA title. Philadelphia has made the playoffs in seven consecutive seasons but failed to advance beyond the second round in any of them.

“They understand,” Embiid said of the medical staff. “They know me. I’ve accomplished a lot of things already… and there’s one thing missing and they know that’s all I care about.”