Did Nick Nurse and the Philadelphia 76ers pop the cap off Joel Embiid's minutes restriction to start the second week of the season?
It might not be a permanent decision, but for Wednesday night against the Indiana Pacers, it was a gamble that Nurse was willing to take to collect a win over one of the Eastern Conference's supposed playoff squads.
Fortunately, the plan worked. Embiid contributed to a 114-109 win by logging a double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds, along with a block on the defensive end. Best of all, he made it out of the game without any setbacks.
But Nick Nurse needs to cool it. This is precisely why the Sixers' lack of reliable depth at the center position looked like a potential problem early on. Although Embiid looks to be his healthiest in years, the injury-prone label doesn't just go away. If there's a minutes plan--which was revealed to be in the low 30s--then the 76ers have to respect it.
On Wednesday night, Joel Embiid checked in for nearly 39 minutes. It's the fourth game of the season, and he's coming off his first (planned) absence of the year.
Nick Nurse is playing a risky game
Since taking over as the 76ers' head coach in 2023-2024, Nick Nurse has dealt with a Joel Embiid, who was injured more often than not. The recent infamous knee setback wasn't in play yet when Nurse took over, but Embiid still averaged under 34 minutes per game throughout his first four-game stretch of that first season.
In 2024-2025, Embiid averaged 31.3 minutes on the court in his first four games. Last year, he didn't clear 30 minutes of action until November 30! It took the Sixers 19 games just to get Embiid to his seventh outing of the year.
Yet, here we are in 2026-2027, and a 32-year-old Embiid is averaging 35.8 minutes per game throughout his first four games of action, which is not only the highest mark under Nick Nurse--but also surpasses the early four-game sample sizes during the Doc Rivers era as well.
When Nurse addressed Embiid's playing time following Wednesday's win, he noted that Embiid was "maybe a few too high." The head coach explained that sometimes you got to do what needs to be done to secure the win. While he hopes to control those minutes better moving forward, that isn't a guarantee.
Until the Sixers get some help from Tacko Fall, Jabari Walker, or Dominick Barlow, they'll have to keep holding their breath every time Embiid is involved in a physical sequence. He's doing well to start the year, with averages of 21.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 4.8 assists, while thriving defensively, but the past makes it hard to trust any plan to push his playing time limits.
Add us as a preferred source on Google