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The Philadelphia 76ers were dealt some brutal injury news when it comes to star center Joel Embiid, who was diagnosed with a torn ligament in his thumb. While the injury is set to require surgery, Embiid and the Sixers have elected to wait until after the season ends before going through with the procedure. Still, the hand injury is worrisome for Sixers fans, and while they hold a 3-1 lead in the series against Toronto, the team is likely feeling anything but comfortable in its current situation.
Following Saturday night's loss to the Raptors, during which Embiid's hand was clearly impacting his performance, the Sixers are fortunately set to return home. However, that doesn't guarantee them anything, and with Embiid not at 100%, the Raptors have been given new life in this series. With all that in mind, here are three reasons the Sixers should be in panic mode amid the latest update on Joel Embiid's torn thumb ligament.
3 reasons Sixers should be panicking amid Joel Embiid injury
3. The injury is clearly impacting him
Embiid got off to a rough start in Saturday's loss to the Raptors, and ended up well short of his typical MVP-caliber production. The center logged just 21 points and 8 rebounds in the loss, turning the ball over 5 times across 39 minutes on the floor. He didn't have a great game defensively, either, failing to record a block while Pascal Siakam ran rampant for the Raptors. Obviously, this could have simply been an off-game for Embiid, but it's certainly a worrisome performance amid a bombshell injury report.
If Embiid bounces back in Game 5, then perhaps Sixers fans can begin to restore some confidence. But if the injury is affecting him as much as it seemed to be on Saturday, then that's a major issue for the team, as they lean heavily upon Embiid, who registered a career-high 37.2% usage rating. Considering how much of the offense is set up for Embiid, it'll be a significant concern if he's not able to play at his usual level.
2. James Harden is ice cold
With Embiid's injury impacting him in Game 4, the Sixers needed Harden to step up and take a leading role for the team. That did not occur, and Harden finished the game with an abysmal 5-for-17 shooting performance. Harden ended the night with 22 points, 9 assists, and 5 rebounds. He shot just 2-for-8 from 3-point range and turned the ball over 4 times, while posting a -14 +/- rating, the worst of the game.
Harden is shooting just 37.9% from the field in the series, struggling to knock down his shot with any consistency. He's been okay from deep, converting on 39.3% of his 3-point opportunities, but his production simply hasn't proven to be enough. With Embiid ailing on Saturday, Harden should have stepped up and taken charge of the game, but ended up being the biggest liability on the floor. If that trend continues with Embiid sub-100%, Sixers fans should be particularly worried.
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1. Philly lacks depth behind Embiid
If the injury somehow worsens and Embiid is forced to miss some action, that would be a major worry for the Sixers, who lack significant depth behind their MVP-caliber center. Yes, DeAndre Jordan and Paul Millsap are both on the roster, but neither even recorded a single minute throughout the entire series, showing just how much faith Doc Rivers has in the veteran big men. The option to run a small-ball lineup would obviously remain, but that would be a vastly different gameplan than what Philly is used to with Embiid on the floor.
It's clear Embiid is the X-factor for the 76ers in the NBA playoffs. His injury will extend far beyond the series with the Raptors, should Philly advance to the next round, so unfortunately, this is something the team will have to cope with throughout the playoffs.
