Embiid feeling 'confident' about knee, health going forward - ESPN

PHILADELPHIA — In the wake of yet another season ending in the second round of the playoffs and with Joel Embiid missing large chunks of the campaign while injured, the Philadelphia 76ers star center struck an optimistic tone about his health moving forward.

«I'm as confident as I've ever been,» Embiid said Sunday after Philadelphia was routed 144-114 by the Knicks in Game 4 and swept out of the Eastern Conference semifinals on its home floor in front of a crowd full of New York fans. «I think, obviously, [my knee] was the biggest concern, and I'm not thinking about it; and as long as we keep doing what we've been doing, I won't have to think about it anymore.

»I'm looking at next year, obviously being more available. The personal goals, it doesn't matter. I know that if I'm available and I play as much as possible, everything else is going to follow."

Health is not exactly something Embiid has had much of over the course of his career. He has now played 490 games across the past 10 campaigns — an average of 49 per season — and that doesn't take into account missing the entire first two seasons of his career due to injury.

He also has had a litany of health issues in the playoffs, another trend that continued this season. Embiid had an emergency appendectomy a month ago, which he returned from two weeks ago, and missed Game 2 of this series with right hip and ankle injuries.

«All I can say is I commend him,» 76ers coach Nick Nurse said. «He worked his ass off to get out there and play. I think it was really difficult for him, especially [in Game 3].

»I think he felt a little better today than he did in Game 3. But again, I'd just say he gave us everything he could."

Embiid had arguably the best three-game stretch of his