Getty Image / Sarah Stier
The Philadelphia 76ers have had a great season. They finished the regular season 54-28, good enough for the 3rd seed in the Eastern Conference. And, center Joel Embiid was a big reason why.
The bona fide superstar had the best season of his career this year. He’s been on the brink of an NBA MVP award for the past few years, but this seems like the year he’s going to get it.
Joel Embiid averaged a career-high 33.4 points per game to go along with 11.2 rebounds,3.4 and 1.7 assists per game. He became the first center to win back-to-back scoring titles since Bob McAdoo in 1976. After finishing as runner-up in the MVP voting to Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić the last two years, Embiid is certain to win it this season.
And, in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, the Philadelphia 76ers and Joel Embiid rolled through the Brooklyn Nets, recording the only 4-0 sweep in the league in the first round. But, Embiid has always struggled with injury issues, and one has popped up at the wrong time.
This time, an injury has popped up at exactly the wrong time. Joel Embiid sat out game 4 of the series with a knee injury, but the 76ers assumed he would be back for game one of their Eastern Conference Semifinals series against the Boston Celtics. But, that appears to not be the case.
Sources: The knee injury 76ers star Joel Embiid suffered April 20 is considered to be more serious than a Grade 1 LCL sprain. He is currently doubtful for Game 1 vs. Boston.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 29, 2023
Yikes. That is simply not good news for the Philadelphia 76ers. It’s hard to imagine them having the firepower without Joel Embiid to win any games he’s out. And, if it keeps him out more than one game, as it seems like it will, their season may be over.
Game 1 between the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics is on Monday at 7:30PM ET.