Not only in the NBA, but throughout every sport, victory is the measure of success; however, in the case of the Philadelphia 76ers, opening night presents more pressing matters for the franchise. Head coach Nick Nurse must swiftly find an effective solution to manage Joel Embiid's minutes in a manner that can help break his prolonged injury curse.
Since entering the league in 2016, Embiid has only completed 65+ games in two seasons. A statistic that will make Sixers fans lose more sleep is that the 31-year-old has only featured in 58 regular-season games during the previous two campaigns due to a lingering left knee injury.
Nevertheless, Embiid's stellar preseason performance against the Minnesota Timberwolves -- in which he registered 14 points, seven rebounds, eight assists, and three steals -- signalled that there may be brighter days on the horizon if Philadelphia can formulate a plan that benefits both the team and its franchise cornerstone.
Nick Nurse must prioritise Embiid's health
The easy option for the 76ers' head coach would be to throw Embiid into the deep end and chalk up as many victories as possible before the inevitable fitness issues strike again. In the short term, the wins would rectify Nurse's win percentage as Philadelphia's boss, but it would not benefit the roster when the postseason arrives.
If the Sixers have the ambition of contending for a place in the NBA Finals, then Embiid must be present and firing on all cylinders. For this to even be a consideration, Nurse must find a way to stagger the 2023 NBA Most Valuable Player's minutes, while allowing him enough time to establish his scoring dominance on the court.
In addition, Embiid's supporting cast must be able to withstand the usual swing in momentum when their offensive talisman takes his seat on the bench. Not only do they have to record a substantial amount of points, but they must limit the number of offensive rebounds that the opposition manages to snatch during the non-Embiid minutes -- an area that the athletic pairing of VJ Edgecombe and Adem Bona has the potential to address.
Nurse has already suggested that this roster has been established to reduce the weight of responsibility that has burdened Embiid for several campaigns. The Sixers' head coach stated that Bona and Embiid will feature on the court at the same time this season, which will not only provide Philadelphia with an edge in rebounding but also minimise the stress applied to their veteran center's left knee.
No one is debating the importance of getting off to the best start possible in the NBA and creating a feel-good factor around a franchise; however, the Philadelphia 76ers must plan for the future in this instance and establish an effective method that will keep Joel Embiid healthy.