The playoffs continue to be an uphill climb for the Sixers and for Joel Embiid. The Cameroonian center suffered an injury to the finger of one hand during the series against the Raptors. That made things very difficult for him and helped a 3-0 turn into a 3-2, with the danger that Philadelphia would become the first team to go back from 3-0 in the playoffs. In Game 6, Embiid and the Sixers responded: 97-132 in Toronto and ticket for an a priori tremendous conference semifinal against the Miami Heat.
The series starts Monday through Tuesday night… without Joel Embiid. The MVP candidate, as announced by journalist Shams Charania (The Athletic), is low indefinitely after suffering in that sixth game against the Raptors a concussion and a fractured orbit. Although he could play with this second problem, almost certainly with a protective mask, the concussion forces him to be out for at least five days, so he will not be safe in the opening round in Miami. Two new mishaps that add to that problem in a finger for which he will have to undergo surgery when the Sixers season, who now have a very complicated mission, even more so, against the best team in the Eastern Conference in the regular phase. And, therefore, with the court factor against.
During the next week, Embiid will be re-evaluated and there will be more information about his injuries and time out. For now, and according to journalist Ramona Shelburne (ESPN), it is believed that orbital fracture does not require surgery. Embiid suffered a similar injury in 2018, but then to a degree that did require surgery. This time, the problem came from an elbow by Pascal Siakam, the Raptors forward, four minutes from the end of the game and with a 29-point lead for the Sixers.
Analyst Jeff Stotts, with one of the most reliable databases regarding injuries in the NBA, assures that since 2015, this injury causes an average of ten games out. Although being playoffs, Embiid could force and play as soon as he passes League protocols related to his concussion. When he did have to operate during the 2017-18 season, he was out for 22 days and missed 10 games, eight in the regular season and two in the playoffs.