Joel Embiid and his current health status have been a cause of concern for the Philadelphia 76ers. As NBA fans will certainly be aware, Embiid has been playing at an elite level this season alongside James Harden and has led his team to the 3rd seed in the Eastern Conference. Additionally, he also emerged as a front-runner to win the MVP award this season.
Unfortunately for 76ers fans, Embiid got injured during the 76ers’ first-round matchup against the Brooklyn Nets. Thankfully, they were still able to win the series in 4 games. However, his availability and conditioning for the second round seem questionable. With that being said, let us take a closer look at the latest injury update and when he is expected to come back for his team.
Joel Embiid might miss Game 1 against the Boston Celtics due to his knee injury
While the 76ers certainly have other good players such as James Harden, Tobias Harris, and Tyrese Maxey, there is no denying that Embiid is the focal point and best player on this team. He is on the verge of winning the MVP award after averaging a very impressive 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 4.2 assists.
During the third quarter of Game 3 between the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets, Joel jumped in the air to contest a shot by Cameron Johnson. Not only was he unable to do so, but he also landed awkwardly on Johnson and suffered a knee injury in the process.
Although he played out the rest of Game 3 and finished with 20 points, 19 rebounds, and 7 assists, he did not suit up for Game 4 and has not been seen since. When asked about the condition of his star player, 76ers coach Doc Rivers shared his doubts about Joel’s availability for Game 1 of the next round.
It was also reported that Embiid is yet to rejoin team practice and is still rehabilitating his injury. This is bad news for his team considering that their next-round matchup is against the Boston Celtics. This is a team that has beaten them in the past.
The Celtics have never faced the James Harden and Joel Embiid combination. That is expected to continue for the first half of this series if Embiid takes longer to recover. We hope he is able to make a speedy return to the court in order to make this a competitive series.
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