After suffering an orbital bone fracture on Wednesday’s win against the New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid is expected to undergo surgery tomorrow.
After suffering a collision with point guard Markelle Fultz he is expected to miss two to four weeks, and with the postseason starting on April 14 that means that he could miss a portion of the first round of the playoffs.
He will be reevaluated in five to seven days and after that, the team will have a clearer idea of how long he could be out. A quick return would be ideal because he is perhaps the most important piece in the Sixers lineup as he has a huge impact on the team when he is on the court.
This season the Sixers outscore opponents by 11.6 points when he is on the floor but get outscored by 3.9 points when he’s been on the bench. That’s a huge differential of 15.5 points.
Embiid’s averaging 22.9 points and 11 rebounds in 30.3 minutes per game and has been vital to the Sixers resurgence and push to the playoffs as he is their best player this season by far.
Without him, the Sixers aspirations of a deep playoff run take a huge blow, not only because of his impact but also because even though they already clinched a spot in the playoffs they still need to secure the fourth spot to clinch home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
The Sixers, which some predicted could make it to the Eastern Conference Finals, are below .500 on the road this season. Right now, they are in a three-team tie with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Indiana Pacers in the standings, so securing at least that fourth spot is vital to their interests.
Instead, without Embiid and playing on the road, Philadelphia would be fortunate to get out of the first round.
