Philadelphia 76ers: 5 things to watch vs. Brooklyn Nets in first round
5. Joel Embiid’s health situation
The Sixers have rested Joel Embiid quite a bit since the All-Star break, taking the precautionary route when it comes to his knee soreness. According to GM Elton Brand, however, there’s a chance the Sixers’ star isn’t ready for Game One.
While there’s optimism Embiid will suit up, it’s worth monitoring the situation. The Sixers, even with ample star power in the starting five, take a massive step back whenever Embiid misses time. He’s the engine that powers Philadelphia’s success on both ends.
light. Related Story. Ranking Embiid and the NBA's top centers
After a slow regular season, there’s reason to believe Jimmy Butler can — and will — step it up in the postseason. That could help mitigate the loss of Embiid for a couple games in the first round. It would still be ideal to have the 7-foot-2 behemoth on the court, though.
If Embiid doesn’t play, the Sixers will need to get strong production from Boban Marjanovic and Jonah Bolden. The latter is going through injuries of his own, though, so the Sixers might have to turn to other options. Ben Simmons and Mike Scott could see minutes at small-ball five.
The Nets don’t have a center who can successfully contain Embiid one-on-one. If the Sixers are going to start strong, it’s best to have a top-10 NBA player in the rotation.