Sixers’ Joel Embiid talks about his plan to stay healthy, more reports from day three of camp

There is no Sixers story more important than the health of Joel Embiid.

It’s great to see Tyrese Maxey take on a bigger leadership role, Paul George to fit in seamlessly, and Jared McCain and Guerschon Yabusele to stand out in camp.

But it doesn’t matter if the big guy isn’t healthy when it matters most.

Embiid spoke for the first time at training camp in the Bahamas on Thursday. Let’s take a look at what he had to say to the reporters on the ground.

The plan

Embiid didn’t mince his words at media day. The plan is for him to listen to the medical staff and the team and come into the postseason as healthy as possible. Three days after the start of training camp, he still hasn’t accomplished anything. Given his knee injury last season and his participation in the Olympics, it makes sense not to rush into anything.

On Thursday, Embiid was even more explicit about his plan to take care of his health this season.

Embiid is absolutely his own worst enemy at these points. Who could forget the horrific night he tore his meniscus after the Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga landed on his left knee? Embiid, who had been dealing with knee soreness for a while before that night, never looked like himself in this game. It was clear that he should never have been on the floor.

It’s refreshing to hear him take this stance. Embiid was actually pretty good during the Sixers’ first-round loss to the Knicks — especially considering he was dealing with that bulky knee brace and Bell’s Palsy in his face. It would make sense for Embiid to see this series as the final straw.

The hope is that Maxey, as he said in the video above, will be one of the people on his mind. The same goes for George, who certainly knows the importance of keeping star players healthy after spending the last five seasons with Kawhi Leonard in LA

Again, if Embiid isn’t healthy, nothing the Sixers do will matter when the games matter.

More praise for McCain

After practice on Wednesday, head coach Nick Nurse, veteran Eric Gordon and Maxey were effusive in their praise for freshman Jared McCain.

Add Embiid as another impressed observer.

McCain shot the ball poorly in Summer League but was one of the best pure shooters in his draft class. He hit 41.4% of his threes at Duke and his shooting was his best attribute at every level. A few meaningless games in July shouldn’t change his mind on this matter.

But the fact that he’s making a splash with his overall game and toughness is huge. As mentioned on Wednesday, McCain likely won’t see minutes before the season begins, but the Sixers’ guard rotation is old and with his shot-making ability, he will get opportunities.

Supporting the best player on the team is no small feat either.