Joel Embiid's Restrictions Need To Stay
Joel Embiid is leading the Philadelphia 76ers despite under minutes restrictions. Limiting his playing time is good for him, and his team
It’s 2017 and NBA basketball is changing more than you can imagine.
Gone are the days of the early 2000s where Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant would play over 40 minutes a night. Gone too are the days where players would play through injuries . As time goes on, the star players are gradually playing less minutes per game and sitting more games for more minor injuries. While fans wouldn’t enjoy this short-term, it ultimately benefits everyone in the long-term.
Joel Embiid is without a doubt a superstar talent. So let me ask: Would you rather see him dominate for 28 minutes a night for the next 14 years, or 36 minutes a night for the next 7? No matter what happens throughout the rest of Embiid’s career, the injury concerns will and should always be there.
That’s just the type of thing that happens when a guy misses two full seasons in a row due to injuries that didn’t even happen in organized basketball game. Situations like that tend to stick into the back of people’s mind for a very long time.
Embiid Exceeding Expectations
Embiid is not only exceeding expectations statistically, but physically as well. His playing over 20 games without injury so far has already been a thing some pessimists thought they’d never see. You can tell Embiid is just as excited as the fans to be standing on the court.
And you can tell he is enjoying every single second out there.
Not only has Embiid remained healthy so far. But, he’s done it with reckless abandon, diving in and out of the crowd for loose balls.
While it’s amazing that he’s gotten over the mental part of rehab where he’s not thinking about injury, it also means he should still be monitored, especially if he’s going to be playing like a 7’2 275 pound Russell Westbrook.
Stay Cautious
Despite some fans being disappointed, Embiid should stay at 28 minutes per game for his career. I think the only time he should play more is during the playoffs when the stakes are higher and in the overtimes of crucial regular season games.
The whole point of the “The Process” was to build a championship team. If our team is going to be championship caliber, we shouldn’t need Embiid to play 36 minutes a game to get into the playoffs.
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If this team in the future is hopefully being co-led by Ben Simmons and number one projected pick Markelle Fultz to go along with Embiid, this should definitely be the case.
Men of Joel Embiid’s height and weight shouldn’t be putting excessive pressure on their legs/feet anyway because of their natural stature. When you look at Embiid’s body combined with his injury past, it just gives more reason to keep him on a regular season minutes restriction.
Follow Duncan’s Lead
The reason Tim Duncan lasted 19 seasons wasn’t just because of unstoppable post moves. It’s because he lost the weight he needed to and started playing a lot less minutes. In Duncan’s first six seasons he averaged 39.3 minutes per game. In Duncan’s last six seasons he averaged 28.4 minutes per game, nearly 11 less minutes. His minutes restrictions did not result from ineffective play. (He played as an all star for 3 of his last 6 seasons and averaged a 21.8 PER rating and 3.9 BPM during that span). He played fewer minutes to preserve his health.
Embiid is 3 inches taller and 30 pounds heavier as a rookie than Duncan ever was and Duncan never had an injury that made him sit for two seasons straight. Whether we like it or not, Embiid should stay at 28 minutes per game for his career. As Sam Hinkie would say it’s about the long game. I rather have a healthy Embiid 28 minutes a night for about 65 games per season for the next 16 years than an Embiid for 36 minutes a night for 82 games a season for 7 or 8 years.
Keep him at 28 minutes, keep him healthy, and let’s build a dynasty for over the next decade.