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When the Philadelphia 76ers acquired James Harden at the trade deadline, they officially started a race against the clock. Bringing in a former MVP put them in the conversation of teams who can win a title this season but have minimal time to prepare for a deep postseason run. While the Sixers have managed to integrate Harden easily, they have a limited amount of games until the bright lights of the postseason come on.
While the Sixers are aware time is not on their side, they are making sure not to overdo it in these final weeks of the regular season. This past weekend we saw Harden sit out the second leg of a back-to-back to manage his hamstring that was injured before he arrived in Philadelphia.
“We have a plan. We put together a very great plan, and we're executing that plan very well. Credit to the training staff and team for being all on the same page. That was scheduled from the time I got back. Hopefully in these games coming up, I won't miss another game. That was scheduled because I'm just now getting back. I'm just trying to make sure we're smart about this thing, and we're all healthy going into the playoffs,” said Harden.
Over the past two years, Joel Embiid has put major focus on his health and conditioning. As a result, the Sixers All-Star center is on pace to play his highest number of games in a season. Outside of being sidelined due to protocol, Embiid has been available almost on a nightly basis.
Getting Embiid into the playoffs healthy has been a top priority for the Sixers for years. His improved shape certainly makes things easier but is something the team still needs to keep in mind. With the postseason looming, Embiid touched on the possibility of him sitting a game or two to give his body added recovery time.
“I feel great. Body feels great. I twisted my ankle a few times today but got to keep getting treatment and lifting and getting stronger every day. But at this point, it is all about really building towards the postseason and making sure that I'm healthy and all that stuff. Our goal is to win a championship, so if I don't feel well physically, definitely going to take a game off or a couple games off just to make sure I'm right physically and mentally,” Embiid said postgame.
At the beginning of the season, it made sense why Embiid wanted to be on the floor every night. Given the circumstances, he was the team's lone star. Now that Harden is in the mix, the Sixers have some wiggle room when it comes to staying competitive with the big man out. This is something they should use to their advantage as Embiid has tacked on a lot of miles this year.
The Sixers' stars are right to not overdo things in these final weeks. While it might cost them some live game reps, the team has no chance of contending for a championship if the superstar duo is not 100% physically come playoff time.
