Sixers Players Won't Have Minutes Restrictions to Start the Season
These days, sports science helps teams to try and limit overworking their top players. In past seasons, we've witnessed the Philadelphia 76ers deactivate players before a game for a night of rest and also limit the minutes of a player to give them rest or avoid overworking them as they recover from an injury.
Considering the Sixers have had an often-injured roster over the last few seasons, rest days and minutes restrictions aren't foreign to Philly. So far this season, though, it seems like the Sixers are off to a favorable start in regards to load management and minutes restrictions as Doc Rivers doesn't intend to limit anybody just yet.
While Rivers mentioned that everybody on the team could see fewer minutes than they typically would start the season due to a short offseason, the Sixers head coach won't consider his method a minute restriction. Instead, he calls it a "lung restriction."
"There's no restrictions on anyone right now," Rivers said after practice on Sunday. "It's actually really nice going into the season." At first, there was a thought that perhaps guys such as Danny Green and Dwight Howard could see a restriction because they just played through October with the Los Angeles Lakers.
But Rivers doesn't intend to hold them back. And although Sixers center Joel Embiid just missed last Friday's preseason game against the Indiana Pacers due to a non-COVID related illness, the big man won't have a leash on his playing time either, which is always a positive sign for the Sixers' three-time All-Star.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_
