Fate really presses on Joel Embiid since the Sixers pivot is already returning to the infirmary! This time, it's not because of his knee, but from an involuntary blow received in the face in the game against the Pacers.
There are a handful of seconds left in the first half when Tyrese Haliburton misses a shot on the left side. The ball bounces on the circle, and Bennedict Mathurin takes off for the tap.
The Canadian spreads his arms, and he sticks a cuff to Joel Embiid, who was on the rebound. While Kelly Oubre Jr. grabs the rebound, the center collapses to the ground. Joined by the medical staff, the Cameroonian was taken to the locker room, and it was only much later that the verdict came: sinus fracture!
After the defeat of his protégés, Nick Nurse announced that his pivot would undergo additional examinations during the weekend before considering what to do next.
A first part of the season to forget
“We will have to move forward, train again, and get it into our heads that it is up to the next player to take over” reacted Tyrese Maxey. “The scary thing is that we were going in the right direction. The guys had found their place, and understood what the coach expected of them, and they were playing as they should. We know how to play with Joel, and now we have to go back and play again without him. It’s different, but that’s how life is…”
This is not the first time that Joel Embiid has been hit in the face since he was already injured in 2018 during a collision with Markelle Fultz: fracture of the orbital plate of the left eye. In 2022, during the series against the Raptors, again, this time with a fracture of the orbital plate of the right eye. To this must be added a partial paralysis of the face, called Bell's facial palsy, developed against the Knicks during the last playoffs.
| Joel Embiid | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2016-17 | PHL | 31 | 25 | 46.6 | 36.7 | 78.3 | 2.0 | 5.9 | 7.8 | 2.1 | 3.6 | 0.9 | 3.8 | 2.5 | 20.2 |
| 2017-18 | PHL | 63 | 30 | 48.3 | 30.8 | 76.9 | 2.3 | 8.7 | 11.0 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 0.6 | 3.7 | 1.8 | 22.9 |
| 2018-19 | PHL | 64 | 34 | 48.4 | 30.0 | 80.4 | 2.5 | 11.1 | 13.6 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 0.7 | 3.5 | 1.9 | 27.5 |
| 2019-20 | PHL | 51 | 30 | 47.7 | 33.1 | 80.7 | 2.8 | 8.9 | 11.6 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 0.9 | 3.1 | 1.3 | 23.0 |
| 2020-21 | PHL | 51 | 31 | 51.3 | 37.7 | 85.9 | 2.2 | 8.4 | 10.6 | 2.8 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 3.1 | 1.4 | 28.5 |
| 2021-22 | PHL | 68 | 34 | 49.9 | 37.1 | 81.4 | 2.1 | 9.6 | 11.7 | 4.2 | 2.7 | 1.1 | 3.1 | 1.5 | 30.6 |
| 2022-23 ★ | PHL | 66 | 35 | 54.8 | 33.0 | 85.7 | 1.7 | 8.4 | 10.2 | 4.2 | 3.1 | 1.0 | 3.4 | 1.7 | 33.1 |
| 2023-24 | PHL | 39 | 34 | 52.9 | 38.8 | 88.3 | 2.4 | 8.6 | 11.0 | 5.6 | 2.9 | 1.2 | 3.8 | 1.7 | 34.7 |
| 2024-25 | PHL | 5 | 32 | 40.7 | 13.0 | 97.4 | 1.6 | 6.8 | 8.4 | 3.6 | 3.0 | 0.4 | 3.8 | 1.2 | 22.0 |
| Total | 438 | 32 | 50.3 | 33.8 | 82.7 | 2.2 | 8.9 | 11.1 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 0.9 | 3.4 | 1.7 | 27.8 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
