The Philadelphia 76ers are looking to make a run for the NBA Finals. With the help of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, the Sixers are considered by some as favorites to come out of the East.
However, the main issue with the Cameroonian center is his health. He's never had a season of basketball where he wasn't injured. Moreover, he has a precarious injury history that has kept him out for much of his early years in the league.
The Sixers will do everything they can to keep him healthy for postseason basketball. And according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the team is willing to manage his load if it comes down to it.
Sixers GM Elton Brand talked about the possibility of reducing his load on certain games:
“He knows that I feel we are a championship-caliber team,” Brand said. “For us to reach that goal, it has to start with Joel in the postseason being the best Joel possible.
“So he’s aligned. He’s working through it.”
Brand immediately clarifies that playing him in back-to-back games is not out of the question just yet. However, they will have to be picky with the games they will be willing to play Embiid on.
They will also take his condition at any point of the season into consideration:
“It’s going to be a daily, strategic, thoughtful representation of where Joel is,” Brand said. “If he presents well and he feels good, we’re not going to hold Joel back. He knows what the goals are and he’s aligned. It’s a partnership.”
Embiid is a machine when healthy. He's only played three years in the NBA, but he's already established himself as one of the league's best centers with his career averages of 24.3 points, 11.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 2.0 blocks.
If the Sixers manage to take care of his workload well, we may see the Sixers playing in their first NBA Finals series in a good while.
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