The Philadelphia 76ers have a ton of catching up to do. While it is still way too early to boot them out of the playoff race, even from a predictive standpoint, no one will be waiting for them to figure it out and start acting like the contenders they were widely expected to be heading into the present campaign.
A 2-10 win-loss card, however, no matter how you look at it, is a lot of deficit to try and cover up. Fortunately, the 76ers do have more than sufficient talent to overcome that big hurdle, unlike most, if not all teams in their situation record-wise.
But the caveat with this team — as it has always been — is making that talent functional and actually usable. Injuries just cannot seem to elude Philadelphia, and each of the squad’s three All-Stars are starting the year off hobbled. Heck, Joel Embiid, who just returned from a significant layoff, has bumped into another setback.
Joel Embiid could miss next game as 76ers try to conjure momentum
Ahead of the team’s upcoming game against the Miami Heat, the 76ers have listed Embiid as questionable due to an undisclosed illness, casting yet another cloud on his availability for the next string of games in account of precedence.
These sorts of things, unfortunately, run with a redder alarm when it comes to Embiid, probably the most injury-prone superstar in the NBA. These sorts timing could not be worse either, as the 76ers are on deck for a tough slate of games, facing Miami and memphis on the road before taking on the surprisingly competitive Brooklyn, the veteran LA Clippers, and an upstart Houston team.
There has been no concrete intel yet on what illness Embiid is currently going through, but the 76ers have already strongly interjected that they intend to be more conservative than before when it comes to handling their stars, especially when it comes to the star center.
Of course, the hope if for Embiid to still be able to suit up and help lead the 76ers while overcoming his unflattering start to start manufacturing some winning momentum to improve their meager record. They also have no back-to-backs for quite some time, and coupled with Tyrese Maxey’s looming return, the formula for the team to start making noise in the standings is already awaiting them.
Hopefully, Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers, as a collective, get graced by lady luck for once to allow them to truly showcase what they are capable of at full strength.