Embiid and George will each sit for Wednesday’s sport in opposition to the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers, since it is a back-to-back sport. It is a part of the crew’s plan to maintain their stars wholesome for the playoffs, as each have been injured in current postseasons, together with final yr.
That is been the plan from the beginning. The 76ers have been notably cautious with Embiid, the 2023 NBA MVP, to the purpose that he did not make his season debut till Tuesday evening.
Whereas not formally injured, Embiid and the crew are nonetheless involved about his left knee, the place he had surgical procedure in February. He is now sporting a brace on that knee, and declared earlier than the season that he’d “most likely by no means play back-to-backs for the remainder of [my] profession.”
George might not play back-to-backs both, although he hasn’t sworn them off for his profession. The 34-year-old All-Star did not make his Sixers debut till final week, within the crew’s sixth sport, after struggling a bone bruise after hyperextending his personal left knee within the preseason.
Philadelphia misplaced to the New York Knicks, 111-99, even with each gamers energetic Tuesday, falling to 2-8. They’re going to even be with out one other All-Star, Tyrese Maxey, who’s out “a couple of weeks” with a hamstring harm.
Nonetheless, do not count on the Sixers to vary their load administration plans, particularly with the state of the Japanese Convention.
Usually 2-8 could be a disastrous begin. This season, it leaves the Sixers solely three video games behind the fifth-place Indiana Pacers. Whereas the crew will surely desire to keep away from the play-in event, they’ve motive to be assured about incomes a top-six seed even with Embiid and George skipping all of Philly’s back-to-backs.
Who won’t like that is Philadelphia’s season ticket-holders. After Wednesday, they’re going to have gotten 26 minutes of Embiid and 65 minutes of George in six residence dates. That is not nice worth, however the crew hopes they’re going to give followers their cash’s value with a deep postseason run. In spite of everything, there aren’t any back-to-backs within the playoffs.
