Yeah, this is going to end the 76ers title run hopes. The 76ers are in serious trouble now that Joel Embiid is going to miss significant time with his knee injury for the team is in a precarious playoff position!
Philadelphia is probably screwed from making the playoffs at this point now.
Despite having a legitimate MVP candidate and being within two games of 2nd place in the Eastern Conference, the Philadelphia 76ers are in serious jeopardy of missing out on the playoffs altogether as Joel Embiid is going to miss at least two months with a meniscus injury in his knee. And, if the reigning MVP is out for longer than that, then I don’t see how the 76ers are going to avoid the dreaded Play-In tournament.
Okay, I don’t want to say that the 76ers can’t make the playoffs without Embiid as they still have Tobias Harris, Tyrese Maxey, and D’Anthony Melton when he comes back from injury, yet it’s going to be VERY, VERY difficult. So, for those who haven’t heard the news, Joel Embiid, one of the leading MVP candidates this season and last year’s MVP, has undergone knee surgery on an injured meniscus that will keep him out for AT LEAST 1-2 months of the season.
And, that’s obviously going to be a massive issue for the 76ers as Embiid is not only the face of the franchise, reigning MVP, and leader of this team on both the offensive and defensive sides of the court, but he’s also been arguably the best player in basketball with his 35.3 PPG, 11.3 APG, 5.7 APG, 1.1 SPG, 1.8 BPG, and 53.3% FG shooting in just 34 games. That’s incredible, and the biggest reason as to why the 76ers find themselves with a 30-18 record just before the all-star break.
“Hey, that’s a very decent record,” you may be thinking right now. “If you said they’re only two games behind 2nd in the East, then why would the 76ers worry about not making the playoffs at all?” And those are two valid points. The 7ers do have a great record with them being 12 games above .500 and being only 2 games behind the faltering Milwaukee Bucks for 2nd place in the East.
Yet, that’s not the issue. No. Not even close.
The issue is not how poor the 76ers will be without Embiid, but rather how great the rest of the East will play as they faulter and flatline without a valid MVP candidate. Sure, the 76ers are only two games behind 2nd place, yet they are currently 5th in the Eastern Conference and sit only 2.5-3 games above the next three seeds below them.
Do I think all three of the Heat, Pacers, and Magic will surpass Philly? No, probably not. But I DO think at least two of those teams will get on a hot streak to close out the season and really push the 76ers for one of the automatic playoff positions.
And that’s going to be a lot easier for them as Philly is going to be losing 35 points/game from their general nightly averages with the loss of Embiid, which will drop them from being the 6th highest scoring team in the NBA (119.1 PPG) to the being the distant worst scoring team in the league (83.8 PPG…which is 23.1 PPG less than the 30th ranked Memphis Grizzlies).
Now, obviously, other players will pick up the slack and the scoring drop-off won’t be nearly 40 points a game without Embiid, but there will be a notable drop in scoring. Yes, Philly has put up two scoring performances over their PPG average since Embiid’s injury against the Jazz (127-121 win) and the Nets (136-121 loss), but these results were against bottom-half defenses and below .500 teams.
How will the Phillies matchup up against teams like the Celtics, the Nuggets, the Knicks, Cavs, Thunder, Timberwolves, or Clippers with the knowledge that Joel Embiid is out and cannot bail them out? One off performances from bench players, such as Paul Reed’s 30-point performance in the 76ers 111-107 loss to the Nuggets a week ago, can only be relied upon for so long.
And that’s why I think with the East only going to get stronger and more competitive as the trade deadline looms and the 76ers not really having a reliable front court option other than Embiid, this team is going to be in serious jeopardy of falling into the Play-In. Or, at worst, missing the playoffs altogether.
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