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Sixers still need to be careful with Joel Embiid’s minutes

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 25: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers celebrates during the first half of the game against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on February 25, 2018 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 25: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers celebrates during the first half of the game against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on February 25, 2018 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

The Philadelphia 76ers still need to exercise caution as much as possible with Joel Embiid.

Look, I get it. You’re tired of talking about Joel Embiid and his injury history, so these “be careful about his minutes” debates are irritating. He’s playing in back-to-backs, playing well, and seems to have a full green light medically. Why is this even a discussion?

The reason stretches beyond JoJo himself, and it’s something the Philadelphia 76ers need to keep in mind. There’s a real correlation between extended playing time and injury, and it’s only amplified for big men.

DeMarcus Cousins went down during the most minutes-intensive stretch of his career, while Kristaps Porzingis‘ career year was cut short in similar fashion. Jimmy Butler isn’t a big man, but Minnesota’s decision to play him an obscene amount of minutes likely factored into his non-contact meniscus injury.

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Embiid isn’t playing a lot of minutes compared to most stars, but he’s still inexperienced when it comes to shouldering a load of this magnitude. This is a guy who has had his playing time limited and seasons cut short throughout his basketball life, whether it be Kansas or Philly.

We all want to see Embiid on the court, and he clearly wants to play. On top of that, I do think some of the injury concerns get overblown nowadays, even if holding your breath every time he falls is habitual at this point.

Still, he’s way too important for the Sixers to stop exercising caution now. It’s their gradual approach to his rehab that made playing him in back-to-backs possible to begin with. They must remain thorough in taking care of Embiid’s body to the utmost extent.

This isn’t to say the Sixers aren’t excersing caution either. Embiid played just 27 minutes against Orlando before seeing extended periods of rest against Washington the next day, which is more than ideal.

He shouldn’t have finished that triple-overtime game against OKC earlier in the season and there have been a handful of questionable decisions regarding his minutes, but on the whole, the Sixers continue to do an excellent job when it comes to insulating their star.

Some of this may seem overdone at this point, but keeping Embiid healthy is the most important task facing this franchise long term. Big dudes with feet and back issues struggle with longevity, and the key to Embiid breaking that mold is intensive care and legitimate restrictions when they’re needed.

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Especially now — with the Sixers out of title contention — keeping Embiid fresh should be their number one priority. Injuries suck, and Philadelphia’s approach to Embiid’s health could play a big role in preventing one.