Joel Embiid played the fewest games in his professional career last season (39) except for his rookie season (31), which was two years late because of injuries. But the impact of Embiid’s presence in those 39 games was something different, truly. However, the 30-year-old is yet to play more than 68 games in a regular season, and it does not look like that number might see much increase, either.

Add the fact that the Sixers are planning to take load management to a whole new level, and the chances further decrease. Think about what ‘The Process’ said to Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “If I had to guess, I would probably never play back-to-backs the rest of my career.”

In addition, GM Daryl Morey expressed a similar sentiment. Just one difference; he added Paul George also into the mix! According to Morey, being smart with their superstars, albeit injury-prone duo, is to “not play many back-to-backs, if any.” Naturally, this will invite criticism. After all, fans aren’t paying to watch key players sit on the bench.

And according to Charles Barkley, it is also not a good reflection on Joel Embiid. Perhaps that’s putting it mildly. Here’s what the NBA legend shared with his Inside the NBA crew, in Episode 1 of the 2024-25 season. “I was so disappointed in Joel Embiid saying he wasn’t going to play back-to-back games… That’s not the way to start the season. As the best player on that team and a leader, I would never go into a season saying, ‘I’m not going to play back-to-back games.’ I thought that was a bad message,” Chuck stated.

Well, Philly’s genuine concern is certainly understandable. However, Barkley seems to feel that outright eliminating the possibility of playing back-to-back games sends a message of caution that might overshadow the optimism or confidence expected from a leader like Joel Embiid. It, in turn, could dampen the morale or expectations heading into the season.

But ‘Sir Charles’ seems to have found an in-house solution to the problem, too – a $10,000,000 one. And… it might be an indirect dig at Joel Embiid. “He doesn’t have to play a lot of minutes because they got the best backups in the league! You know I am a big [Andre] Drummond fan. If you playing back-to-backs, saying, ‘Hey guys, I’m only gonna play 25 minutes this night,’ because Drummond to me; he is the underrated pick-up by the Sixers,” Barkley expressed with his eyes opening wide.

Charles Barkley’s comments serve to highlight a key challenge the 76ers have been facing since Drummond was traded in return for James Harden from the Nets.

Can Andre Drummond be the Alfred to Joel Embiid amid concerns about his playing time?

Take, for example, the night when Embiid went down against the Warriors. The Sixers were 29-17, 5th in the East, trailing the second-seeded Bucks by just one game in the loss column. For the next 29 games, the team further went 11-18, even as big men Mo Bamba and Paul Reed struggled in their role as the backups. Clearly, the Sixers were in dire need of a capable backup. And Andre Drummond heeded that call.

Although Drummond’s 2-year $10 million deal with the Sixers didn’t become official until 12:01 PM ET on July 6, his return to the team—one he hadn’t wanted to leave back in 2021—was essentially finalized by late the previous month. In fact, right before Shams Charania broke the news, the 2012 first-round pick took to X for a sneaky tweet, “I’m in the mood for a Philly cheesesteak.”

As for whether the 12-year veteran can deliver? We are talking about a man who has established himself as one of the best rebounders in the NBA, having led the league in rebounding four times (2016, 2018, 2019, 2020). Andre seems to know his role perfectly well, too.

“I think that’s why I’m here — to eliminate a lot of those issues,” he said, clearly referring to the defensive assignment he will be entrusted with in Philly. No more bullying from Isaiah Hartenstein or Mitchell Robinson without receiving in kind from a 6’11, 279-pound Drummond.

Circling back to Charles Barkley, his idea could work. It may allow the franchise to preserve Joel Embiid’s health while still maintaining its competitiveness. But as Philly Inquirer’s Gina Mizell pointed out in her Reddit AMA, “If he does not have any other significant injuries or setbacks with the knee, perhaps somewhere in the 55-60 range” is a realistic expectation for this season.

Hopefully, things can take a positive turn as the season progresses.