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BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MAY 02: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts during the fourth quarter of a game against the Boston Celtics in Game Seven of the First Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs at TD Garden on May 02, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

The Philadelphia 76ers were swept by the New York Knicks to end their season. It was an extremely disappointing way to end the year after coming back from down 3-1 against the Celtics in the first round. Now, they have uncomfortable questions to answer in the offseason.

Philly decided to fire Daryl Morey. Finding a new decision-maker is the first order of business that needs to occur. They also have a couple of very expensive pieces that weren’t very available during the regular season. How they navigate that is another ordeal that must be settled.

Now, they are urged to take a unique approach to next season, specifically with Joel Embiid.

The 76ers are Urged to Load Manage Joel Embiid

According to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, those around the league think there is only one way forward for the Sixers. That is to load manage Embiid and keep him healthy for the playoffs.

“Run it back, load manage Joel [Embiid] as much as they can, be a playoff team and try to stay healthy,” a West executive said. “I think there’s stuff you can do on the margins.”

Embiid was hardly available this season. During the regular season, he only appeared in 38 games. In the playoffs, he missed four games. Even in the games he did play, he clearly was not fully healthy. Keeping him healthy for the postseason is mandatory for playoff success.

Whether that is a logical strategy to employ is another matter. Paul George’s contract is an albatross, and he was suspended for 25 games this past season. It seems they are hitching their hopes of success on the two young starting guards that they have.

The issue is that they don’t have any better options. Both Embiid and George are untradeable because of their injury risk and the contracts attached to them. That means Philly has to try to win with them. Those contracts are a big reason why Morey is out of work.

Philadelphia is Hitching Hopes on a New Starting Backcourt

The one good thing that happened this season was the fact that the 76ers drafted VJ Edgecombe. He was a revelation as a rookie after being the third overall pick a year ago. Pairing him with Tyrese Maxey is something exciting that fans and the new GM can look forward to.

Those are two good young pieces to build around. It is likely unrealistic to assume that Embiid is going to be healthy for a two-month playoff stretch at the end of the season, no matter how much they load manage him. With that fact, there is not really a realistic path to a title.

With that being the case, it seems like the 76ers are about to embark on a rebuilding journey. Next year will be a test case on how far they can go with the current core in place.