76ers' Joel Embiid Won't Play vs. Raptors Because of Knee Injury
The Philadelphia 76ers will be without superstar center Joel Embiid against the Toronto Raptors on Friday night due to right knee recovery, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
It will mark the first absence this season for Embiid, who is averaging 27.6 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.4 blocks in five contests this season.
Since missing his first two seasons with foot and knee issues, injuries have been a storyline in Embiid's career.
He largely stayed healthy during the 2021-22 season, playing in a career-high 68 games. He finished as the MVP runner-up behind Nikola Jokić for the second straight year, averaging a league-best 30.6 points to go along with 11.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.1 steals per game.
However, injuries again reared their head in the playoffs. Embiid sprained his right thumb in Game 3 of the team's first-round series with the Raptors and fractured his face late in Game 6 of that series after taking an elbow from Pascal Siakam.
That injury cost him the first two games of the team's second-round series with the Miami Heat, which both ended in losses.
After the season, Embiid had surgery on both his thumb and on a previously unreported left index finger injury.
When asked about his fluke injuries in the 2021-22 playoffs, the 28-year-old told reporters:
"I don't regret it because it's life. It happens. You just got to deal with it. It sucks. Not, not looking for any excuses. But those are just the facts. It sucks. I don't think anybody will believe that I was 100 percent. So it does suck to get to the stage and not be yourself, not being able to do what you want and your body not allowing you to just be yourself. So it sucks, but I have no regrets."
Embiid is both Philly's best offensive player and its defensive keystone, so it is a concern any time he misses time, even though Friday's absence sounds more like load management than an injury.
The Sixers have struggled this season even with Embiid in the lineup, going 1-4, and beating the Raptors without him will be a massive challenge.
With Embiid out, the 76ers will turn to P.J. Tucker and Montrezl Harrell to eat up more frontcourt minutes alongside Tobias Harris.
