Doc Rivers Talks Health Status of Joel Embiid, De’Anthony Melton

Doc Rivers discussed the latest on Joel Embiid and De'Anthony Melton on Wednesday.

The Philadelphia 76ers have had their fair share of health concerns throughout the 2022-2023 NBA season. Sixers center Joel Embiid was among those who’s been a frequent face on the injury report, as foot soreness has lingered throughout February.

Although Embiid was questionable for the last 12 games, he missed just one matchup back in late January. Going into the All-Star break, Embiid admitted he was still dealing with soreness in his foot, which could potentially hold him out of the All-Star Game.

It was unclear whether Embiid would play or not in the days leading up to the game last Sunday. While there was speculation he might sit out, Embiid ended up suiting up and checking in for nearly 30 minutes.

When Embiid and the Sixers returned to practice on Wednesday afternoon ahead of their Thursday night matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies, Doc Rivers was asked about his opinion on Embiid playing in the big game despite admitting he wasn’t healthy.

“I have no issues with that,” said Rivers. “He had some time off, and said he felt better. I told him if you feel healthy enough to come, play. If you don't, just let them know. And I think he did that. So it was all good.”

Embiid isn’t the only one that’s been dealing with injury concerns throughout the year. Although Sixers guard De’Anthony Melton hasn’t been on the injury report lately, Rivers revealed that the back concerns Melton dealt with earlier in the year had affected him leading up to the All-Star break.

“It’s amazing. It really is because he still has the same issue,” said Rivers. “He’s learning how to manage it a little bit better. I think we’ve done a better job at in games where we can rest him more, we have. I don’t know if that’s been better for him as a player. There’s two things going on at the same time. That’s something we talked about at the break. There is a fine line with too much rest and guys losing their rhythm. We got to walk that line, especially during these games.”

With the break in the past, Rivers mentioned that the time off was a good opportunity to allow Melton to feel better physically. 

“De’Anthony just needed the break to reset himself,” Rivers finished. “He said he did that, and he’s ready, so that’s good.”

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.