Sixers ready to give Joel Embiid heavy minutes in Orlando

Joel Embiid might be ready to take on his final form in the Orlando bubble.

Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown told reporters on Tuesday that he has set a target of 38 minutes per game for Embiid in the playoffs, per Derek Bodner of The Athletic. Bodner notes that the 26-year-old center played 30 minutes per game in last year’s playoffs and 34 a game in the second round specifically.

Embiid began his NBA career on a strict minutes limit due to his history of foot injuries that kept him sidelined for his first two professional seasons. His playing time had slowly crept up to 33.7 minutes per game by last season, but it went back down to 30.2 a night before play was suspended this season.

Regardless, Embiid recently met the minutes-played clause in his contract, so that combined with his strong continued two-way play probably explains the Sixers’ comfort in trotting him out for heavy minutes the rest of the season.