Philadelphia 76ers fans are free to breathe. Joel Embiid is going to be okay.
After suffering a knee contusion in the team’s Friday night victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, he will not be suiting up on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Clippers. Or on Wednesday against the Milwaukee Bucks.
But he will take the floor on Friday against the Houston Rockets, according to The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski:
Joel Embiid, who'll miss Clippers/Bucks games w/ left knee bruise, expected to return vs. Houston Friday, league sources tell @TheVertical
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) January 23, 2017
Phew.
Though Embiid’s injury wasn’t considered incredibly serious after the fact, it’s harrowing anytime someone who missed his first two years in the league with foot problems suffers any kind of setback. Fortunately for the Sixers, though, he appears to be fine. And that’s huge.
See, Embiid isn’t just Philly’s future. He’s the team’s present as well.
To wit: When he is on the floor, the Sixers are outscoring opponents by 3.2 points per 100 possessions. When he sits, they’re getting blasted by 11.5 points per 100 possessions. That’s the difference between a top-eight net rating and dead-last differential. So yes, his return is a huge deal.
Now the Sixers can return to their previous state of basking in his rookie campaign while hoping he remains free from further harm, however minor.
