76ers May Have No Choice but To Embrace Controversial Strategy

When the Philadelphia 76ers take the court, there’s bound to be someone important sitting on the injury report. Against the Milwaukee Bucks, LeBron James sat out with back soreness. 

Now, against the Detroit Pistons, Joel Embiid takes a night off with a plantar fasciitis flare-up. Both players are important to this team if they want to win, but it makes sense not to overwork them so early in the season. 

Embiid played 36 minutes the night before and was rewarded with a triple-double in the victory against the Bucks. Dating back to last season, Embiid has been reluctantly placed on the injury list in order to preserve him for the long, enduring schedule of the NBA. Now, it’s a possibility that the same could be done for James as he battles multiple injuries, including his sciatica pain. 

The 76ers have been battling injuries since the start of the season, and they have still managed to make it to 3-1 on the season. The team suffered their first loss at the hands of the Pistons, and now it looks like they have some work to do before they go against the Pacers on Wednesday. 

Injuries are bound to happen, but it’s up to a team like the 76ers to manage these inconveniencies and do their best to win the game. So, could it be such a bad thing to have your star players treated for their constant ailments? This is partly why the 76ers are keeping Embiid from playing in back-to-back games. The NBA has been very strict against load management, believing its diluting the NBA product. However, it’s all fun and games until all the best players can't finish out the season because of an injury suffered in a meaningless game.

Look at it like this: the 76ers are playing on national television more than any other team in the NBA. If Joel Embiid and LeBron James were lost for an extended period of time, that would be a bigger detriment to the NBA than just a game or two of load management. Nonetheless, James may find himself on the injury report in the same way as Embiid, and that could be for the better.

One of the biggest knocks on this team is how their stars have lingering injuries, and that's something the team aims to correct by any means necessary. If it means having to put a player or two out of commission to keep the injuries from piling up, then they may just have to explore that option.