The Sixers' Joel Embiid will “probably never play back-to-back games again” and will wear a knee brace in the future

We already knew that Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers took a longer view on his load management this season. We're seeing it in practice with the news that the big man won't be playing in any preseason games this fall.

Depending on how you look at life in general, you can read different things into this approach. The optimist might think, “Oh, good, they're finally serious about maximizing his chances of being healthy and available in April, May and June.” The pessimist, on the other hand, might say, “It's October and Embiid doesn't have a game.” played and is already going to the doctor to check on his knee. “There's no way this guy will ever stay healthy enough for the Sixers to achieve their goals.” Both sides certainly have some validity.

While we knew about the preseason, we got more information on the long-term approach this morning thanks to an article from ESPN's Tim Bontemps. First, Joel referenced another legendary big man, Tim Duncan, repeating something Daryl Morey said earlier this fall that there would be no more tackles for the star center.

“The 30-year-old Embiid is doing his part and arrives at training camp having lost 25 to 30 pounds with the goal of losing even more. Embiid points to how Hall of Fame star Tim Duncan has changed his body over his career and hopes a slimmer version of himself is better able to handle the rigors of the NBA season. “It's just developing your body, and getting older, and finding ways to stay afloat and be as dominant as I've always been,” he said.

And after playing in just 433 of a possible 637 games over the last eight seasons — not counting the first two years of his career that were lost to foot injuries — Embiid's days of playing back-to-back games appear to be over.

“If I had to guess,” Embiid said, “I would probably never play back-to-back games for the rest of my career.”

“We’re going to be smart about it,” Morey said. “Part of the smart decision is that both Paul and Joel are unlikely to play back-to-back often, if at all.”

With this news you score points for the optimist camp. People have been demanding that Embiid lose weight for a long time to put less strain on his joints. Back-to-backs were always unnecessary for him, but especially now with the much-improved supporting cast and Andre Drummond soaking up the minutes in the middle. Using Embiid for this game is extremely rational.

However, the pessimistic camp also received what could be seen as a worrying update in the Bontemps article:

“Embiid will continue – reluctantly – to wear a brace on his left knee, which he injured in January. While he hasn't been uncomfortable wearing a face mask or braces at any point in his career, he said it won't stop him from doing the things that have made him one of the league's most dominant forces.

“It’s the right thing to do and the right thing to do that will give me the support I need for the rest of my career,” Embiid said. “For me it's a mental thing. I hated it. (But) I started saying to myself, “Okay, I have to do it, this is the only way they'll let me play.”…

“It might not look as good as it used to, with the push or the pull-up and all that stuff, but it will still work.”

Therefore, Joel will feel more uncomfortable on the court and his movements will be slower and less effective. While it's a smart move from an injury prevention standpoint, it's not good news that this is the reality we're dealing with right now.

Ultimately, these appear to be smart and overdue decisions by Embiid and the Sixers. We probably wish he had reached these conclusions a year or two earlier. Perhaps one of the recent injuries could have been prevented? Regardless, we need to live in the present and have everyone involved try to be on the same page to maximize Philadelphia's chance at a championship.