How The Philadelphia 76ers Fared Without All-Star Center Joel Embiid This Season

Since Joel Embiid entered the NBA in 2014, he has had numerous injuries. Now, the Philadelphia 76ers star center is facing another setback as he sustained a concussion and orbital bone fracture in last Thursday’s opening round series-clinching Game 6 victory over the Toronto Raptors.

Embiid will not travel with the 76ers for Game 1 Monday night and Game 2 Wednesday night of their Eastern Conference semifinals series against the Miami Heat, according to ESPN. His status for Friday’s Game 3 and the rest of the series has not been determined.

Playing without Embiid is a crushing blow for the 76ers. Embiid averaged 26.2 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per games in the Raptors’ series despite playing the final four games with a torn ligament in his right thumb that is likely to require surgery once the season ends.

During the regular season, Embiid led the NBA in scoring (30.6 points per game) and added 11.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. He is one of three finalists for the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award along with reigning MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, the 2019 and 2020 MVP. Embiid finished second in last season’s MVP balloting in large part because he missed 21 of the 76ers’ 72 games due to injuries while Jokic played in all 72 of the Nuggets’ games.

This season, Embiid played a career-high 68 games in the regular season and didn’t have any major injuries until the playoffs, a rarity in his career. Embiid sat out his first two NBA seasons (2014-15 and 2015-16) due to knee injuries and appeared in only 31 games in the 2016-17 season as he underwent surgery on the meniscus in his left knee that March. Since then, starting with the 2017-18 season, Embiid has been named an All-Star each season and been a three-time All-NBA second team selection even though he’s had other injuries and played in 64 or fewer games each season until this season.

Embiid has sustained an orbital fracture before when he collided in March 2018 with teammate Markelle Fultz. Embiid missed the final eight games of the regular season and the first two games of the first playoffs series against the Heat. In all, 22 days elapsed between the collision and his return to action on April 19. He wore a protective face mask during that postseason.

Going by that timeline, Embiid will not be back for this year’s Heat series, but the 76ers are not saying either way when or if he will be playing. Still, in the 14 games Embiid missed during the regular season, Philadelphia went 6-8 with three of the victories coming against teams (Detroit Pistons, Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers) that missed the playoffs and had the third-, sixth- and seventh-worst records in the league.

Here’s a look at how the 76ers fared without Embiid this season:

Nov. 1, 2021 – The 76ers defeated the Trail Blazers, 113-103, at home as they gave Embiid the night off to rest. Philadelphia starting forward Tobias Harris also missed the game due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols. Seth Curry, who was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in February, had a team-high for the 76ers, while Georges Niang came off the bench to score 21 points, tied for his season-high.

Nov 8, 2021 to Nov. 24, 2021 – Embiid missed nine consecutive games during this stretch due to COVID-19 protocols. The 76ers lost the first five games and finished 2-7 during the stretch, their only victories coming against the Nuggets on Nov. 18 and the Kings on Nov. 22. Embiid returned on Nov. 29, scoring 42 points and grabbing 14 rebounds in a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Afterward, Embiid told reporters that he had tested positive for the coronavirus and that “I really thought I wasn’t going to make it. It was that bad.”

Dec. 13, 2021 – Embiid missed that day’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies on the road with right rib soreness. The Grizzlies dominated, 126-91, outscoring the 76ers by 23 points in the second half. It was tied for the third most lopsided loss of the season for Philadelphia. Embiid returned the next game two days later against the Heat, scoring 17 points in a 101-96 loss in Philadelphia.

Jan. 31, 2022 – The 76ers decided to give Embiid the day off to rest. They ended up winning, 122-119, in overtime as second-year guard Tyrese Maxey (33 points) and Harris (31) led the way and helped Philadelphia win its fifth consecutive game. Embiid was back the next game, scoring 27 points in a three-point loss against the Washington Wizards.

March 21, 2022 – Embiid and teammate James Harden, whom the 76ers traded for the previous month, both missed the game to rest as the team was playing the second game of a back-to-back. But the 76ers ended up winning, 113-106, at home over the Heat, who were at full strength. Embiid and Harden returned to the lineup in the 76ers’ next game, scoring 30 points and 24 points, respectively, in a 126-121 victory over the Lakers in Los Angeles.

April 14, 2022 – Embiid was held out of the 76ers’ regular season finale with what the team described as right knee soreness. Harden also didn’t play as he had a left hamstring injury. Still, the 76ers defeated the Pistons, 118-106, to finish with a 51-31 record and the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.