Proposed Joel Embiid strategy leaves 76ers with notable dilemma

Although the Philadelphia 76ers loaded up their starting five with the addition of two more star-caliber players in Jaylen Brown and LeBron James, the team will certainly still count on Joel Embiid to be a major factor when the weight of the games is heavier than ever.

Every postseason for the Sixers has had the same story: Joel Embiid is dominant when everything is going right for him on the health front, but staying healthy hasn’t been possible. There’s always a “freak injury” in play, leaving the Sixers saying that if they could just get one healthy postseason with Embiid, they would have a real shot at winning it all.

There’s a belief that if the Sixers can limit Embiid’s regular-season appearances in a strategic way, then the Sixers can get the star center to the postseason healthy. The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie suggested that 40 games should be the sweet spot for the Sixers in 2026-2027.

“Try to keep him healthy for a playoff run, as opposed to worrying about what this looks like in the regular season,” Vecenie stated.

We hear it, but it’s hard to believe

Joel Embiid hasn’t played in 40 games since the 2022-2023 NBA season. He missed the mark by one game in 2023-2024, and missed it by two games last year. During the 2024-2025 season, Embiid played in just 19 games, before undergoing season-ending surgery season.

At this point, 40 games feels like the new 65 for Embiid. Most would like to keep Embiid on ice until the playoffs, with the hopes that a healthy version of him is well-rested and ready to dominate, but it’s not that simple.

Since Embiid is so important to the Sixers, the game plan changes a lot with and without him on the floor. One of the Sixers’ biggest challenges over the past few seasons was going through major changes frequently, making it hard when they lose him–but also hard to get back into a rhythm when they have him return to the mix after missing him for a stretch. Remember, the Sixers haven’t had Embiid for six games in a row since the 2023-2024 season.

The unfortunate reality is that the Sixers can’t plan anything for Embiid when it comes to his health and availability. It makes me question whether he should even have that type of strict plan or not. By no means should they just wing it and hope for the best, but trying to get Embiid as much playing time as possible with the new-look lineup should be the priority. It’s a major gamble, but resting plans haven’t proven to increase Embiid’s odds of staying healthier in recent seasons.