Joel Embiid Injuries Diagnosed as Fracture in Eye, Concussion; Requires Surgery

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid suffered a concussion and a fractured orbital bone in Wednesday's 118-101 victory over the New York Knicks, the team announced.

The Sixers also said Embiid will undergo surgery "in the coming days" to repair the orbital fracture:

The center exited the game in the second quarter after inadvertently colliding with teammate Markelle Fultz.

Joel Embiid Is Down and Not Getting Up

It's unclear when Embiid could return. ESPN's Zach Lowe reported the 2018 All-Star could be back as soon as two to four weeks.

Embiid spoke about the injury on Twitter:

The Sixers have eight regular-season games left before the playoffs start April 14. Embiid could be back for the postseason if he hits the shorter end of Lowe's timeline. Should the problem linger for a month or more, however, Embiid might miss Philadelphia's first-round series.

Losing him is a massive blow for the Sixers, and the team could be in trouble without him in the playoffs.

The 24-year-old is averaging 22.9 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.8 blocks. He's almost single-handedly responsible for the 44-30 Sixers' top-four Eastern Conference seed.

According to NBA.com, Philadelphia has an 11.6 net rating when Embiid is on the court. To put that in perspective, the Houston Rockets' 9.3 net rating is the league's best. The Sixers' net rating falls to minus-3.9 when he goes to the bench, which would be good for 23rd in the NBA.

This injury puts a damper on what has otherwise been an encouraging season for Philadelphia.