The schedule for the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2025-26 season has been revealed and it is a bit of a doozy. Of course, the Sixers will face all of the other 29 teams in the league per usual so that hasn’t changed, but Philadelphia will have 16 back-to-backs which is tied for the most in the league. They have five back-to-backs in their first 22 games.
So, what does that mean for Joel Embiid and Paul George? That means coach Nick Nurse and his staff will have to be very careful with the star duo as they both recover from injuries.
Embiid has undergone two left knee surgeries over a span of 14 months so when the season begins on Oct. 22 in Boston, one has to believe the Sixers are going to treat him with kiddie gloves to make sure he is ready for the playoffs. That likely means no back-to-backs which means other players will have to step up and produce in his absence in those games.
Then, there’s George who will be recovering from offseason left knee surgery in July. He was limited to 41 games in his first season in Philadelphia due to a variety of issues, including left knee injuries so one has to believe he will certainly be limited in those back-to-backs as well. Either the Sixers will limit his minutes or just sit him out completely.
All of this is to say that the Sixers will need to be extremely careful with both Embiid and George–which really is self-explanatory, but it has to be said. That means the depth that President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey and his staff were able to bring in over the summer must shine in those situations.
Guys like Trendon Watford, Jabari Walker, Dominick Barlow, and others must give the Sixers some production in order to stay competitive and fight through the tougher parts of the schedule when Embiid and George can’t play. On paper, the Sixers have a strong roster to get themselves through the rigors of an 82-game season. That depth will need to be relied upon when the schedule gets tough.