Eddie Johnson names Joel Embiid’s ‘issue’ that leads to recurring injury troubles, ‘when you’re trying…’

Eddie Johnson explains why Joel Embiid gets injured so much

When Embiid’s healthy, he’s easily one of the best players in the NBA. However, in recent years, fans have barely seen that version of the 2023 NBA MVP.

Speaking of which, former NBA player Eddie Johnson recently dissected the real reason behind Embiid’s frequent injuries.

“He plays hard. People can get on Embiid all they want, like, based on the shape that he’s in, the dude does play hard.

“He’s going to try to defend the rim, he’s going to try to do things, and I think that’s part of his issue,” Johnson said on SiriusXM NBA Radio.

In simple terms, Johnson believes Embiid’s over-dedication to being perfect on the court is a huge reason behind his frequent injuries.

That also makes it tough to predict how many games Embiid will play next season. But at the same time, it destroys the theory about the 76ers’ star being lazy.

Joel Embiid needs to avoid staying out of shape, says Eddie Johnson

Right now, there’s a lot of pessimism around Embiid’s NBA future. However, Johnson had some golden advice for the 76ers star.

He wants the 31-year-old to avoid playing hard until and unless he’s in top shape during the season.

“When you’re trying to play as hard as he does sometimes, and you’re out of shape, you’re gonna get injured.

“You’re gonna get injured when you’re trying to play hard. I think that’s the realization he has to come to,” he added.

For what it’s worth, Embiid has already conveyed to the 76ers his recovery plans ahead of the 2025-26 NBA season. Whether he succeeds in doing so or not is an entirely different conversation.