Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid suffered a fractured orbital bone of his left eye which will require surgery in the coming days, the team announced Thursday evening.
On top of the orbital injury, Embiid also suffered a concussion and has been placed in the NBA’s concussion protocol.
The Sixers are 42-21 with Embiid starting. With Embiid on the court, the Sixers score 111.4 points and allow 99.7 points per 100 possessions, and with Embiid not in the game, the Sixers score 101.8 points and allow 105.7 points per 100 possessions. The Sixers go from a plus-11.6 net raing with Embiid to a minus-3.9 without him.
Embiid is a major difference-maker and is integral to Philadelphia’s success.
After initially passing concussion tests, Embiid began to feel negative effects of the collision and was taken to a Philadelphia hospital for observation.
This season, New York guard Ron Baker missed one game and Houston center Clint Capela sat out two games after suffering the same injury, although neither had surgery.
Memphis’ Mike Conley missed three playoff games (over 10 days) after undergoing surgery following a nasty orbital fracture during the 2015 postseason, while then-Chicago guard Derrick Rose skipped three weeks prior to the 2015-16 season opener after orbital surgery.
The addition of a concussion certainly changes any potential timetable for Embiid’s return to the lineup.
The All-Star center’s 22.9 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.8 blocks per game this season are a major reason the team has won eight straight and is headed to the playoffs for the first time in six seasons.
Now the rest of the Sixers will have to carry a much larger load until their centerpiece gets back on the court.
“Maybe I had a little bit more space in that case,” Dario Saric said of playing without Embiid against the Knicks. "Maybe I took a little more responsibility when Joel [left]. Obviously, I think all players share a little bit of responsibility.”
