Kendrick Perkins outlines why Philadelphia 76ers have ‘no excuses’ next season

‘No excuses’ for a slow start in Philly

As a direct result of missing the playoffs, the Sixers had a long offseason, and, on top of that, none of their players are suiting up for a national team in EuroBasket, so the summer can be spent getting their bodies right.

With several months to be spent in the gym, recovering, and preparing, Philadelphia is expected to come out of the gate hot.

“They’ve been off since April, middle of April,” outlined Kendrick Perkins.

“So you’re looking at almost seven months. How in the f— they don’t go into the season into training camp healthy? Make that make sense. Like if you have seven months that you’ve been off, there’s no excuses. You have no excuses whatsoever than to come into training camp prepared.”

Embiid missed the first nine games of the season last year, causing the Sixers to get off to a 2-7 start, which they never recovered from.

In a weak Eastern Conference, the only teams better than the Sixers on paper (which is not a perfect measurement) are the Knicks and Cavaliers, so Perkins was quick to apply some pressure.

“All I’m saying is it’s now or never,” he finished. “It’s now or never for the Philadelphia 76ers. The East is wide open right now.”

Embiid might never be the same again

Embiid, who has been nagged by injuries before he even joined the NBA, has played in only 53% of his possible 847 career games. Granted, when he does play, he is one of the very best players in the world, but his reliability has long been questionable.

Embiid has hinted that he will never play in a back-to-back for the rest of his career, and cautionary measures, despite upsetting fans, might be best for his long-term well-being and the success of his team.

While Perkins wants him to come out of the gate swinging, another former player thinks he should pump the brakes and be smarter about how he approaches the rest of his career.

“I don’t doubt that everyone’s going to come into camp in shape, but there’s still a level of management to his knee,” said Richard Jefferson. “That when he says he’s probably done playing back-to-backs or he’s not going to do it. That’s management!”

Jefferson spent time playing for the San Antonio Spurs alongside Tim Duncan and a young Kawhi Leonard. Leonard would go on to coin “load management,” using the tactic to lead the Toronto Raptors to the 2019 title, and Duncan, like Embiid, battled knee injuries for his entire career, although he was able to overcome them by managing his ailments.

While Perkins wants to see Embiid compete for his second MVP, most Sixers fans would likely prefer Embiid to come up short of the 65-game threshold if it means he is healthy for the postseason.