The Philadelphia 76ers dropped Game 4 to the Washington Wizards on Monday. The loss, however, wasn’t the biggest concern of the Sixers, but the health of star center and MVP candidate Joel Embiid, who had a scary fall in the opening quarter and was held out for the rest of the game. 

Embiid took an MRI and according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the big man will be listed as doubtful for Game 5 on Wednesday. Embiid will go further evaluation in the coming days, which probably means that the injury he suffered is serious enough and that it’s best he’d rather not risk a further setback. 

Without Embiid, the Sixers will look like a shell of themselves. He’s their best player and basically the superstar the team’s offense revolves around. And knowing Russell Westbrook, Bradley Beal, and the Wizards, they won’t go away. They are not going to let the Sixers advance just like that, especially if they see an opportunity to make it a series.

That said, here are four players that need to step up for the Sixers during Embiid’s absence. 

Ben Simmons

Simmons caught a lot of heat on NBA Twitter after a horrible shooting night in Game 4, as expected. Simmons is shooting below 30 percent from the free throw line, something to watch out for moving forward. The All-Star guard does not impact the game by scoring but instead does his work in different ways—passing, defense, and hustle among others. 

But with their go-to guy out, the Sixers need more scoring from their second best player. More looks to drive or at least shoot better from the free throw line. If Simmons does not improve his free throw shooting, the Wizards’ scouting report will take notice. And eventually find ways to send him to the free throw line more to brick some shots. 

Dwight Howard

When Embiid would sit out games this season, Dwight Howard was the replacement off the bench. It’s actually not a bad plan at all since Howard can practically get his rebounds and find ways to score inside. Howard is nowhere near Embiid’s level but the Wizards don’t really have a threat in the frontcourt. Howard can find ways to impact the game physically and clog the paint. For what it’s worth, Howard was a great pickup in Fantasy Basketball this season when Embiid was sidelined due to injury. 

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Tobias Harris

Harris averaged 19.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists this season as he’s become one of the most reliable scorers for the Sixers. Coach Doc Rivers should find ways to get Harris more touches with Embiid out. He’s arguably the most important scorer next to Embiid. Sure, Danny Green, Seth Curry, and Matisse Thybulle can contribute as well but it’s fair to argue that Harris is more important. The nine-year veteran will have to take over to prevent the Wizards from extending the series. 

Role players

Green, Curry, Thybulle, Shake Milton, and basically all the Sixers’ role players have to knock down their shots and play a little bit more beyond their roles in Game 5. That means, producing more from beyond the arc, leveling up their defensive intensity, and finding ways to space the floor to get Simmons and Harris more looks. There’s no replacing what Joel Embiid can do but that doesn’t mean the Sixers can’t pull Game 5 out. Several key players just need to produce more than what they normally do.