At times Joel Embiid would simply smile when crowds would have jarring reactions to him being in street clothes. His preseason comments about never playing back-to-backs added to the scrutiny he has had to face. The media have regularly questioned his viability as a ‘superstar’ due to his chronic knee injury. However, no one paused to ask him how he felt until Embiid finally let it pour out after his return to the 76ers’ starting lineup.

After securing a win against the Chicago Bulls, ‘The Process’ admitted how the process of managing his knee has been “depressing”. “There’s no injury. Just between the swelling … we’ve got to get it figured out. That’s it,” he told ESPN.

As an organization, the Sixers have been nothing but supportive of their franchise superstar. There has been no pressure from them on Embiid to push himself to play games. But do you know what else helps? Or rather, who?

Philly’s newest addition, Paul George, knows all too well the challenges of dealing with injuries. George himself is still trying to reposition himself, having been through “quite a bit”. Considering the age factor, the nine-time All-Star also requires longer to recover than he used to. But his advice for Joel Embiid was blunt.

“You have no choice. It’s a no-choice type of thing. Your love for the game allows you to be in that mindset to be better and you will figure it out. You will learn your body, you will learn how to adjust,” said George, in response to Keith Pompey’s question about how he managed to recover and return to form.

If we are looking at the latest in his injury saga, the man has only appeared in 12 games so far with Philly, courtesy of hyper-extending his knee twice and suffering two bone bruises. But his battle with the mental toll of injuries started much earlier—back in 2014, when a devastating compound fracture in his left leg during a U.S. national team intrasquad scrimmage first tested his resolve.

But Paul has no notion of leaving his teammate to face the challenges alone. When the Philadelphia Inquirer writer asked how PG could support the 76ers big man, the 34-year-old’s response was eye-opening.

“It’s a battle. It’s mind-blowing,” George said about the mental toil of dealing with such lasting injuries. Throughout his career, PG13 has sustained several major injuries that forced him to adapt and accept a tough reality. “We build ourselves so much. Media builds us up. Community builds us up and then you face an injury that you know you’re not yourself. You’re not the same. But you’re expected to be yourself when you on that floor. So mentally it is tough,” George admits.

Having come back from an injury that some dubbed ‘career-ending’, Paul George has been through the most rigorous tests of patience to lead a decorated career spanning over a decade. Joel Embiid has to pass through the same challenge and while it’s troubling, he seems fully committed to going through the hardships.

Joel Embiid has health as his top priority

For a personality such as Embiid, his effervescent presence on the court, and his magnetic demeanor, it was hard to think he didn’t want to play back-to-backs. As it turns out, that’s not how he truly feels. “It’s something that hasn’t been figured out, and it’s been extremely annoying, because I would love to play every single game,” Embiid says about his injury.

Various factors could have influenced this mindset. Without him, the Philadelphia 76ers were among the worst teams in the NBA. But now returning during their strongest stretch, The Process made the game ‘easier’ for all of his teammates. He dropped 31 in his first game back in a win against the Chicago Bulls.

Apart from opening up the floor for his teammates, it also was the first time the Philadelphia ‘Big 3’ had a chance to spend considerable time together. It showed that with all of George, Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey healthy, the Sixers could become an Eastern Powerhouse. But in order to do so, it’s paramount for Joel Embiid to stay on the floor.

Hence, even though depressing, the former MVP is willing to go against his wishes to play all games. “I wish I could have been playing from the beginning. I would love to play every single game, every single minute, but sometimes your body just says, ‘No,’ and you can’t do nothing about it. All you can do is just keep working to fix it and get better,” he said.

This might be the hardest part of the process for a dominant player such as Embiid. Having just returned, the team might even see him regularly participate in hopes of climbing up the East. But once they are in a manageable position, it might be back to strategically managing his time on the floor.

It’s hard, but it’s something Joel Embiid and the Sixers have to do.