DeMarcus Cousins: Joel Embiid needs to 'come down in weight'

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid. Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

DeMarcus Cousins says Joel Embiid needs to 'come down in weight'

By Adam Taylor | Last updated 4/26/24

DeMarcus Cousins has a solution for what ails Joel Embiid.

The 2023 MVP has consistently struggled with injuries and conditioning throughout his time in the NBA. He recently returned to the Philadelphia 76ers rotation following surgery on a torn meniscus.

Cousins commented on Embiid's situation on the "Bully Ball" podcast with Rachel Nichols.

"For me, at what point do you start taking the pressure off of those knees, and joints, and ankles and things of that nature?" Cousins said. "Age is starting to get on your side. There has to be some type of adjustment. I feel like, at some point, the big fella has to come down in weight ... It's hard to play with 300-plus pounds every night. That wear and tear eventually is going to get the best of you. If he can't get his health under control at some point, it's always going to be the same story, that we've been talking about where he's injured in the playoffs ... I think it starts with his diet and just dropping some weight."

From today's Bully Ball: Boogie Cousins says to be less injury-prone, Joel Embiid needs to follow in Tim Duncan's footsteps & slim down as he gets older: "He's gotta come down in weight. It's hard to play at 300+ pounds every night, the wear & tear will get the best of you" pic.twitter.com/GRBp0e2i5Y
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) April 22, 2024

Embiid's health has been a genuine concern throughout his career. He often runs out of steam in the postseason and gets injured during the latter part of the regular season, too.

There's no guarantee that dropping weight would reduce the risk of those issues occurring in the future. However, it would certainly help add some years to the back end of his career.

If Embiid wants to win a championship, he must enter a postseason fully healthy. He can't keep coming into the playoffs and rehabbing on the fly.

We've seldom seen the best version of the Sixers big man during the postseason, much to his team's detriment. If he can't tap into that version of himself, he will go down in history as one of the most dominant players to miss out on a championship ring, and that would be a blemish on a stellar career.

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