The Philadelphia 76ers are in a world of trouble right now after it was revealed that superstar big man Joel Embiid has suffered what could be a significant knee injury. Former NBA champ and current ESPN analyst Kenrick Perkins has recently shared his thoughts on Philly's situation right now, and Sixers fans aren't going to be happy with what he has to say.
According to Perk, there is no doubt in his mind that the Sixers will not go far without Embiid in their lineup:
“They'll get bounced in the second round by the Atlanta Hawks,” Perkins claimed. “If the Philadelphia 76ers don't have Joel Embiid, the Hawks will win that series.”
If Embiid is still hurt in the second round the 76ers need to prepare to book there flights to Cabo because the Hawks are going to beat them! Carry on… https://t.co/Iis7QfytQI
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) June 1, 2021
Quite a few assumptions from Perkins here. In his mind, the Sixers-Wizards series is already a foregone conclusion. The same can be said about the New York Knicks, who Perkins has already eliminated from the playoffs. He believes that it's going to be the Atlanta Hawks facing off against Philly in the second round, with Trae Young and Co. emerging as the victors sans Embiid.
You also have to note that at this point, Embiid's injury has been tagged as knee soreness. While there appears to be no structural damage on his knee, the fact that he is going to miss a playoff game (we're all hoping that it is just one game) speaks volumes of how significant this injury is.
Perkins also pointed out how he believes that the Knicks-Hawks series will go down the wire. If that first-round matchup goes all the way to seven games then this could prove beneficial for the Sixers as it will provide Embiid with more time to recover.