Under head coach Doc Rivers, big man Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers will no longer have to endure “load management” — a method employed by the Sixers to abate injuries early in his career.
So far, Joel Embiid is logging in 33.4 minutes per game — the highest in his five-year NBA career thus far. While he averaged some 25-30 minutes in the seasons prior, the 76ers did not allow the Cameroonian to play back-t0-back games which irritated the big man.
Under Rivers, Joel Embiid can bid goodbye to “load management.”
“He can handle it,” Rivers said. “I think he played the other night almost 37, I didn’t like that, but that’s going to happen. You go through the year and it evens out, that 34, 33. I don’t really have a minutes barometer, I just know where I’d like to keep it.”
Rivers hit the bull's eye in his estimate. In the 76ers 127-112 victory over the Charlotte Hornets, Embiid played 37 minutes and logged in 19 points, 14 rebounds, and four assists. In the following game, a dominant 118-101 victory over the Hornets, Joel Embiid played just 25 minutes.
It has to be said that Joel Embiid has done his part on ensuring that he stays strong and injury-free. The 26-year-old has been working with a personal chef, nutritionist, physical therapist, and massage therapist.
“Everything I’ve been doing, I guess has been working,” Joel Embiid said. “I’m glad to have the support I put in place. I’ve got to keep on doing it. We’ve got to keep on doing it.”
The Sixers will return back to action on Wednesday against the Washington Wizards. Joel Embiid will be operating under Doc's orders… this time with a prescription which includes longer minutes and a green light to give Philadelphia more of what it needs in order to reach the next level this NBA season.
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