Philadelphia 76ers Joel Embiid minutes restriction versus Cleveland Cavaliers, Digi Mart USA News: When the Philadelphia 76ers start working through their rotations against the Cleveland Cavaliers, there is a good chance they will not have veteran center Adem Bona available.
During the Sixers’ recent victory over the Detroit Pistons, Bona suffered an injury that ended his night early after he was elbowed in the head while going for a rebound. Head coach Nick Nurse later told the media that Bona was dealing with a neck injury.
Once the 76ers released their official injury report on Thursday night, Bona’s diagnosis was made clear. The third-year center is dealing with a cervical spine sprain.
The Sixers did not rule him out but listed him as doubtful, meaning he will more than likely miss the game, leaving the team with a difficult decision regarding Joel Embiid.
The 76ers want to avoid taking big gambles on Embiid’s availability and playing time. Keeping the superstar center as healthy as possible is considered a major key to the team’s success this year.
With the Sixers already extremely thin at center, any setback places Embiid in a tough spot, since the team has tried to implement a minutes restriction for the big man throughout the first few weeks of the season.
In three of his first five games, Embiid’s minutes were right around the 33-minute mark. He crossed that number with a 36-minute run against the Milwaukee Bucks on October 24, and did so again when the Sixers visited the Indiana Pacers, logging 38 minutes.
Last week, the Sixers kept Embiid at 33 minutes against the New York Knicks in their first set of NBA Cup action, before giving him his second night off of the year. When Embiid returned to face the Chicago Bulls earlier this week, he played his shortest shift yet, checking in for 24 minutes.
It was revealed that this was part of the plan.
That may have been the case against the Pistons, but the Bona setback sent Embiid back onto the floor in the second half, where he finished with 33 minutes. The Sixers may not have a choice but to let Embiid push past his restriction on Friday in Cleveland, unless the game is out of reach for either team.
The first time the teams met, the Sixers had to generate a 29-point comeback win over the Cavaliers. That game featured 34 minutes from Embiid.
With Bona likely out, the Sixers have only the combination of Jabari Walker, LeBron James, and Dean Wade to work with when Embiid is on the bench.
