Extent of Joel Embiid’s latest injury revealed
Jan 6, 2020; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) looks on during the second quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Joel Embiid added two more injuries to his growing list during the Philadelphia 76ers’ series-clinching win over the Toronto Raptors on Thursday. Fortunately, there is at least some positive news to share.
Embiid suffered an orbital fracture and concussion late in the fourth quarter of Game 6. The injuries appeared to occur when he took an elbow to the head on a Pascal Siakam drive. Embiid will be sidelined for a minimum of five days because of the concussion, but John Clark of NBC Sports Philly reports that the big man will not need surgery for the orbital fracture. That means Embiid could return at some point during Philadelphia’s next series against the Miami Heat.
Source says it appears surgery is not required for Joel Embiid’s orbital fracture at this time
He had surgery on fracture 4 years ago & returned in 3 weeks vs Heat
He’s out at least 5 days with concussion. No timetable for his return. But there’s some hope for this series 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/nJb38argRN
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) April 30, 2022
Embiid will be out for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, which is on Monday night. He will likely miss Game 2 on Wednesday as well, but it sounds like there is a chance he could play after that.
Embiid suffered a similar injury four years ago. He underwent surgery then and was out for three weeks. It is unclear if he will simply try to play through the latest fracture with a face shield and then have surgery after the season.
Of course, Embiid is already playing through another significant injury. He still managed to score 33 points and grab 10 rebounds in Thursday’s blowout over the Raptors.