Watch: The exact moment when Joel Embiid suffered a season-defying injury vs the Raptors
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Joel Embiid
Philadelphia 76ers have huge Miami Heat challenge in the Eastern Conference Semis, especially after avoiding the late scare by the Toronto Raptors. It is indeed safe to say, playing without injured Joel Embiid could even be more dreadful for them.
Philadelphia 76ers won the close-out game against gutsy Toronto Raptors and clinched first-round series 4-2. The celebrations were obvious but Joel Embiid’s injury news might have raised some fans’ concerns over the further progress. Joel Embiid suffered a right orbital fracture and mild concussion in the final game 6 against the Toronto Raptors. And as per Shams Charania, there is no timetable for his return.
The incident happened when the marquee Raptors’ forward Pascal Siakam drove towards the basket and his elbow stuck on defending Joel Embiid’s face. The latter was shaken up for a bit but finished up the game strongly.
How can Joel Embiid’s absence hurt the Philadelphia 76ers dearly
With Ben Simmons’ situation frustrating the 76ers fans, it was Joel Embiid who took complete charge of the team and single-handedly put the team in the post-season. Adding James Harden and some big plays from role players did help Philadelphia finish off their opponents, but it was Joel Embiid, who was the catalyst behind most of the on-court activities.
2022 scoring champion and regular season MVP finalist Embiid averaged nearly 31 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks per game in the regular season. In the 2022 playoff series, he dominated the Raptors with an average of 27 points and 11 rebounds. Joel mentioned in the post-game interview about his concerns over the “hit” He said, “I think he might have broken my face, It’s all good. It’s the playoffs.”
But sadly for the 76ers, all is not good. Reports suggest Embiid shouldn’t start the series against Miami. To those who are not aware, he averages 24 points and 13 rebounds against the Heat this season. But a similar injury to his left orbital bone, late in the 2017-18 season, kept him out for about three weeks. Missing out this star player against consistent and top Eastern conference rivals Miami Heat would certainly hamper Philadelphia’s chances of making the Conference Finals.
James Harden, Maxey, and Tobias Harris might even carry the offensive load for the team, but the 76ers are very weak without Joel Embiid on the floor. The team allowed 111 points and scored 105 points per game without Embiid on the floor. That being said it remains to be seen how Doc Rivers can counter this difficult situation, safe to say it will be one more thing to watch out for in the upcoming semi-final series.
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Kunal Chawda
(600 Articles Published)