The Philadelphia 76ers might just have the two most brittle stars in the NBA. Between Joel Embiid and Paul George, this franchise stands on a shaky foundation being led by two stars who are especially known for their extensive track records — not of meaningful success in the postseason, but of injuries.
Last season, Embiid and George missed a combined 104 games — a whopping number for a duo that makes up more than half of the team’s entire payroll for 2025-26. As such, it cannot be stressed enough how vital it will be for the team to preserve them if they want to make it far in the playoffs, that is, if they even get to return to that place.
Given as well that both players are already on the wrong side of 30, Nick Nurse and his staff will have to give Embiid and George as many nights off as possible next season. Of course, balancing that out with maximizing their chances at racking up as many wins as possible will be very important, so this plan will require a lot of careful planning and deliberate projections.
The 76ers are a mix of the proven and tested and the young and spry, but their players who are of the ilk of the former tend to also be the ones most susceptible to the injury bug. Hence, the team has to be adept at knowing when to hold back to throw a stronger fist later on.
The 76ers have to preserve Joel Embiid and Paul George for the playoffs as much as possible
The 76ers cannot afford to have those so-called scheduled losses where they will simply pick certain days, usually those amidst or in the bookend of tough scheduling bits. In addition, sitting them outright is not the only thing being referred to by the act of preservation.
Of course, both Embiid and George will benefit from getting sidelined as a matter of precaution here and there. In fact, with the 76ers having the most back-to-back sets in the NBA, it is only prudent if the coaching staff deems it necessary to do exactly that.
However, the most proactive measure that will not require the squad to sacrifice some winning causes is to soften their load on the hardwood. The 76ers can no longer rely on both of their aging stars to do the heavy lifting. That would be plain irresponsible, if not outright foolish.
Nurse and his staff should concoct actual, game-sensitive plans to maximize their deeper roster and, for example, reduce the minutes of their stars. Likewise, their role would also have to be adjusted. Gone are the days where Embiid is left on his own in the post, trying to impose himself on his outsized opponents. George can no longer be pegged as a show-stopper in fastbreak situations.
These are just some of the things the Philadelphia 76ers cannot employ next season if they want to keep both Joel Embiid and Paul George as fresh as possible for the playoffs, lest they run the risk of reprising what happened last season, albeit with some more wins, but with the attendant replication of such lofty degree of disappointment.