Once the Philadelphia 76ers made it clear that Joel Embiid was going to play in Saturday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks, many figured he would automatically miss Sunday’s action against the Detroit Pistons. It’s been years since Embiid has played both games of a back-to-back. Plus, the veteran center confirmed he was splitting the upcoming slate after the Sixers rallied to a comeback win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Detroit is certainly the most difficult matchup out of the set this weekend. Since the Bucks are rebuilding and the Pistons are coming off a season where they were No. 1 in the Eastern Conference, one would think the Sixers would save their strongest group for the second night. Instead, the Sixers seem to be splitting.
LeBron James is in the same boat as Embiid. For the time being, the 76ers are managing his minutes and making sure he doesn’t play on back-to-back nights. Unlike Embiid, LeBron didn’t get the nod to play on Saturday night. If all goes as expected, LeBron should be back on the court to face the Pistons. As for Embiid, he knows the reality of the situation; he’s still encouraging the public to apply pressure on the Sixers to change the rules for a night.
"I have no idea. I actually want to play tomorrow, so can you guys put pressure on [the team]?” Embiid told reporters after the 76ers defeated the Bucks on Saturday night.
The 76ers shouldn’t listen
If the 76ers’ decision not to roll out Joel Embiid on certain nights isn’t actually a collaborative plan, then the Sixers should continue sticking to the plan. As much as Joel Embiid claims he wants to continue playing to close out the weekend, the team can’t take that big of a risk early in the season.
We’re still in the first week of the 2026-2027 NBA season. It’s been years since Embiid crossed the 40-game mark in a season. The last time he did was during the 2022-2023 run. Since then, Embiid has played in 39, 19, and 38 games in each of the following three seasons. Several setbacks held him out during that stretch, but his knee was the biggest problem. It took multiple surgeries and a lot of rest and recovery in order for him to get to this point.
While it seems like the knee injury is certainly in the rearview at this point, the Sixers still have to take it easy. Embiid has been prone to other setbacks before. And rolling him out two nights in a row after he clocked in for 36 minutes on Saturday night against the Bucks seems like an unnecessary risk to take in October.
The Sixers are already struggling with depth at the center spot. Ariel Hukporti is out for the year. Tacko Fall has yet to return to practice with the team, and now Jabari Walker tweaked his knee against the Bucks. Anything can happen on any given night, but the 76ers can’t press their luck. They need Embiid healthy for much more than 40 games this season. After getting off to a 3-0 start, he could use a rest.
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