How serious is the bone bruise in Joel Embiid’s left knee that has caused him to miss him five straight games?
Serious enough that he’ll miss a sixth consecutive matchup when the Philadelphia 76ers take on the Detroit Pistons Monday night, but not so serious that head coach Brett Brown is worried. Per Philly.com’s Keith Pompey:
Joel Embiid will miss his sixth consecutive game and his ninth out of the last 10 Monday night when the 76ers play the Detroit Pistons. And Sixers coach Brett Brown will say only that the center is expected to return from a left knee bone bruise in the “not-too-distant future.”
Brown was asked Sunday if Embiid would be available for Wednesday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs at the Wells Fargo Center.
“I’m not sure,” he said after the afternoon practice at Detroit Country Day School.
Is that reason to be concerned? Not according to Brown.
It’s good that the Sixers aren’t concerned with Embiid’s latest setback, and it’s perfectly fine that they’re treating him with kid gloves.
Despite their semi-recent surge, it’s beyond unlikely they make a legitimate playoff bush. It’s far more important they get Embiid right for the long haul, rather than risk meaningless wins that, at this point, only help build fan morale and prop up the legend that has become Embiid.
If anything, Embiid’s stay on the bench is a good reminder of how much the Sixers need him to be fully healthy, beyond restriction. They are 1-4 during this stretch, and their net rating for the season plummets without him, according to NBA.com.
As fun as it is to watch him make the Sixers look like a competent basketball team now, the top priority hasn’t shifted in Philadelphia. Planning for the big picture takes precedence over everything else. And if that entails holding Embiid out of the lineup for a protracted stretch in late January into early February, then so be it.
