In the wake of the NBA’s new resting policy, designed to limit star player rest, Nick Nurse, the newly appointed head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers, is taking a different approach with Joel Embiid.
Despite concerns about player fatigue, Nurse and the 76ers’ staff are focused on getting Embiid on the court more frequently.
Embiid, who played 66 regular-season games last year and earned his first MVP title, has been a key figure for the team.
With the new policy in place, Nurse’s goal is to increase, not decrease, Embiid’s game time, challenging the notion that the playoffs might be a time for rest.
“I think that we are looking at it maybe a little different than people think we might be,” Nurse said, per Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire. We’re trying to get him to play more games.
“Our goal is that it’s going up for him, not not the other direction, and some people would say, ‘Oh, that’s playoffs. Is he going to be?’ We’re just trying to get it going the other direction. I think that’s just what our people believe here that he can play and again, knock on wood, cross our fingers, all that stuff.”
