Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images)
Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid will need to have thumb surgery to repair a torn ligament.
Unfortunately, the ligament damage in Joel Embiid’s right thumb will have to require surgery.
The Philadelphia 76ers‘ best player is doing his best to play through the pain throughout the NBA Playoffs. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Sunday afternoon that the plan is for Embiid to delay surgery on his busted thumb until after the 76ers’ season ends. Philadelphia finds itself up three games to one over the Atlantic Division rival Toronto Raptors in their best-of-seven series.
What are the implications of delaying Embiid’s inevitable thumb surgery until the NBA offseason?
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid will require offseason thumb surgery
Without debate, this is the right call for all involved. As long as Embiid can handle the pain, he should play through it. Because he is a center, the finesse component of his game could fall to the wayside if his thumb issues persist. Fortunately, he has an elite go-to scorer he can lean on outside in James Harden. The question remains is how long will the 76ers be playing this spring.
Philadelphia is the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs this year. While the 76ers should have no issues putting away Toronto over the next three games if need be, issues with Embiid’s thumb could flare up in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Eastern Conference Finals or maybe even the NBA Finals if the 76ers get that far. Either way, Embiid is playing through pain.
A long postseason could contribute to Embiid getting off to a slow start out of the gate next year.