Joel Embiid has said that his limit on minutes this season is not fair, and that tells me that he is not yet wise enough to be a superstar in this league. I want to draw a comparison to Bill Russell who was not the tallest or the most athletic, but he was the only guy who could guard Wilt Chamberlain because he was smart. I just cannot understand why Embiid did not see this coming. I also wonder if he does not trust his coach to handle his minutes in the right sway. The Sixers know what is going on, and they will limit his minutes when required to keep him safe.
This is not the Nationals
Do you remember when the Nationals put a pitch limit on Stephen Strasburg and threw away their chance to go to the World Series? They could have won a title when they shut down their best player, and they would never do that again. The Nationals learned their lesson, and the Sixers know that that is a bad idea. Let us assume that the Sixers get into some kind of situation where they could go tot he conference finals or NBA Finals with more help from Embiid. I am telling you right now that the Sixers would play him more because they need to win. Playing him too much at any other time is stupid, and that is why the Sixers have to be careful.
The Sixers have potential
The Sixers have a ton of potential and a lot of time to build this roster.
Embiid is not the only young player on this team, but he gets hurt more than a toddler on the playground. He just does. I like Embiid. I think he could be Bill Russell good. I think he could be a transcendent player for this franchise, and he can do that only if he is going to be giving them his best. Maybe this is a guy that plays limited minutes to push ahead the better lineup for the team.
If that is the case, the team gets better. Throwing him on the floor does not do the team anything at all.
Will the restriction be lifted?
I think the minutes limit will be lifted the more than Embiid does not get hurt. I think that you can go back to the medical staff over the years and ask them about what can be done to help him remain healthy.
You could ask the doctors how many more minutes they think that he can play, and he might get to regular minutes in a few years. Then you do not have to have this conversation every year because you see Embiid getting better and better. That means that you have developed him properly instead of making him try to save the team right now. That is what wisdom looks like, and it will save the young Sixers.
