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When Joel Embiid revealed a facial fracture during the Philadelphia 76ers‘ first-round matchup against the Toronto Raptors last season, everyone in the City of Brotherly Love took a collective gasp.
The Sixers had dominated the Raptors and looked destined to shatter their second-round playoff ceiling for the first time since Allen Iverson suited up for Philly. But with Embiid set to miss time against the Heat in the next round, the writing on the wall was clear: Philadelphia was cooked. And indeed, the Miami Heat systemically dismantled the Sixers, hunting the team’s glaring weaknesses without their superstar big man.
If anything has been a knock against Embiid through his career, it’s been his shady injury history. Against the Raptors, it was a facial fracture that limited Embiid. But Embiid also sprained his thumb in the series. And over the summer, it was revealed that Embiid had surgery to repair his thumb. It wasn’t surprising Embiid received surgery, but Embiid’s comments at training camp regarding the thumb are a different story.
“It’s still not the same,” Embiid admitted to reporters on Thursday of training camp. “I don’t think it will ever be the same. You work with it. You get used to it, and I’m sure it’s gonna be fine.”
It’s those lingering injuries that have left some wondering if the Sixers should load-manage Embiid to keep him fresh for the playoffs. Sixers GM Daryl Morey addressed those concerns at training camp, as well.
Morey Sounds Off on Load Management Rumors
Daryl Morey sat down with members of SiriusXM’s NBA team during training camp. In addition to calling Embiid the “most skilled man” he’s ever been around, Morey addressed the idea that Embiid has an injury problem.
“In terms of managing him through the season, I think we have to start talking about a different narrative with him, which is, he’s had the best seasons of his career under Doc Rivers. Because of the work he’s put in, he’s had his most successful time managing his way through the season,” Morey said.
There’s no question that Embiid’s injury history is checkered. The former Kansas Jayhawk missed significant swaths of his first few years in the league, including all of his first two years, with various injuries.
But Morey is careful to point out that last season’s facial fracture was a freak accident. In other words, no “load management” would have prevented the fracture.
Embiid, for his part, is no fan of load management, which he reiterated last season to reporters.
Embiid: ‘I Don’t Agree With Load Management’
During the early days of Embiid’s Sixers tenure, he was naturally the subject of a slow ramp-up process to full-time. After all, the Sixers star missed both his first two seasons in the NBA with a foot fracture that didn’t heal properly.
But if he could have a do-over, Embiid would have preferred no early minutes restriction.
“The more I play, the better it gets, because if I’m playing every two days, that means I don’t get out of shape,” Embiid explained to reporters last April. “I keep continuing what I’ve been doing and I stayed healthier. Looking back on it, I don’t agree with load management.”
Last season, Embiid did his best to put concerns over his health to rest. He started 68 games last season, the most of his career after back-to-back campaigns of just 51 starts.
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