Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid is approaching this season in a way he's never done before, according to his trainer.
Philadelphia 76ers superstar center Joel Embiid is dominating in 2026, but his struggles to stay on the floor are starting to prevail yet again.
Embiid missed two games prior to the All-Star break due to right knee soreness, which both resulted in losses for Philadelphia. Now, fresh off the break, the 76ers have ruled out the seven-time All-Star for Thursday's game against the Atlanta Hawks.
A potential reason why Embiid is sitting out was recently shared by his trainer, Drew Hanlen, who revealed his client is approaching this season in a way he's never done before.
"He's bought into something this year that he's never done in the past. In the past, if he was 50%, he was still playing," Hanlen said on The Kevin O'Connor Show. "He was a warrior, he was a competitor. He was like, 'If I can play physically, I'm going to play.' So then he arrived to the playoffs banged up. This year, he's taken more of the approach of 'If I'm not healthy, I'm not playing.'"
Embiid has appeared in 31 games for the 76ers this season, averaging 26.6 points and 7.5 rebounds on 49.4% shooting. Only time will tell if this newly implemented strategy for Embiid will pay off.
Coming out of the All-Star break, the 76ers are the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference with a record of 30-24. The sole way Philadelphia stands a chance against the best the East has to offer, including the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics, is if Embiid is healthy.
Unfortunately for Tyrese Maxey, that leaves him to carry the load in the regular season, which he's done an excellent job of thus far. Maxey was named an All-Star starter for the first time in his career while likely being on pace to earn his first All-NBA Team selection.
Attempting to keep Embiid healthy for the postseason is a phenomenal idea, but not at the cost of potentially falling into the Play-In Tournament.
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