The Philadelphia 76ers are set to begin one of their most highly anticipated seasons on Tuesday Night. They take on the defending champion New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, with LeBron James and Jaylen Brown making their team debuts.
The 76ers are on the short list of teams that can win the NBA championship this season. But they still have a lot to work out on the floor. The 76ers offense will have a lot of mouths to feed, with four players who averaged over 20 points per game last season in their lineup.
However, the one word brought up all offseason was “sacrifice,” and these players will have to sacrifice their own stats for the team’s benefit. Over an 82-game season, these players’ health is vital to the Sixers.
For a team that has been often injured over the years, having their stars healthy and rested come playoff time will be crucial. One way the Sixers plan to protect certain players is by putting them on a minutes restriction.
According to Polymarket, via Shams Charania, the 76ers plan to limit James and Joel Embiid to 30 minutes per game to start the season. For two veterans who have battled numerous injuries over the past few seasons, it makes sense to ease them into the year.
30 minutes per game is more than enough time for James and Embiid to make their impact. It will be interesting to see how the rotations work, but you can bet their five stars will be on the floor to close out the game.
76ers Improved Depth
One thing going for the Sixers is their improved depth, which lets them rest the veterans. Outside of James and Brown, the Sixers added Anfernee Simons, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Dean Wade.
We should see a rather large rotation of players getting into the game for the Sixers to start the year. Head coach Nick Nurse will have his hands full finding lineups that flow while managing minutes.
The Sixers are looking to make a statement to begin the season. Playing in New York on Opening Night is a chance to put the league on notice. The 76ers have played with high expectations before and consistently fallen short.
Something about this team and this season feels different. The addition of the all-time leading scorer (James) and an All-NBA player (Brown) is largely why. However, the games still need to be played on the floor. If this group can stay healthy, they should be strong contenders in the Eastern Conference.
76ers to put LeBron James and Joel Embiid on Minutes Restriction