Kevin C. Cox / Associated Press
Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid is reportedly not returning to Wednesday’s game against the Toronto Raptors after suffering a hand injury.
Serena Winters of NBC Sports Philadelphia reported the news, noting that Embiid was shot in the right hand in the first half. Fortunately for the 76ers, the X-rays were negative, and it was already slated for playing limited minutes in the game.
This is far from the first setback for Embiid, who has faced injuries throughout his career. He already wasted time during the seeding games at Walt Disney World Resort due to a ankle injury and has never played more than 64 games in a season since Philadelphia selected him as the # 3 pick in 2014.
In fact, he missed the first two seasons of his career and only played 31 games in 2016-17.
Any long-term injury to Embiid is even more problematic for the 76ers as Ben Simmons should already be out for the season with a knee injury. Embiid and Simmons are their two biggest stars, and the combination of playing well is their best chance of winning a championship in the coming years.
Embiid is an option to do offensively and someone who fixes Philadelphia’s home defense and rebound efforts.
He has averaged 23.5 points, 11.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game this season.
While the 76ers can’t realistically expect the frontcourt to replicate Embiid’s numbers if he is sidelined for an extended period, they can turn to the combination of Al Horford, Mike Scott and Norvel Pelle.
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