76ers star Joel Embiid adds appendicitis to bizarre injury history amid tight playoff race

The 76ers are fighting to avoid the Play-In Tournament, a battle that just got much tougher

Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with appendicitis and will undergo surgery on Thursday in Houston, the team announced ahead of its game against the Rockets.

The Sixers didn't give a timeline for Embiid's return, but said "further updates will be provided as appropriate." Embiid reported feeling ill to the team on Thursday morning, according to The Athletic.

The center played in the Sixers' loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Monday and logged 34 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks in 39 minutes. Embiid played through illness on March 30 against the Miami Heat and was held out of the team's next game against the Washington Wizards because of the illness. He returned to the lineup on April 3 and then was held out the next night, the second game in a back-to-back.

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With the loss to the Spurs on Monday, the Sixers fell to 43-36 with three regular-season games remaining. Embiid, when on the court, has been stringing together strong performances as of late for a Sixers team that was starting to get everyone healthy at the right time. 

The 76ers are fighting to avoid the Play-In Tournament and enter Thursday night's game with the Rockets in the No. 8 spot in the East. They're only 1 ½ games behind the Atlanta Hawks for the No. 5 seed, as well as one game behind the No. 6 seed Toronto Raptors and a half-game back of the Orlando Magic, who occupy the No. 7 seed.

What does this mean for the Sixers' playoff hopes?

We don't know how long Embiid will be sidelined, but when OG Anunoby similarly underwent an appendectomy during the 2019 playoffs with the Raptors, he was sidelined for about a month. That's not great news for Embiid and the Sixers, especially since they've posted a 19-22 record without him this season. A similar timeline to Anunoby's would almost certainly keep Embiid out for the first round of the postseason, and perhaps more.

At minimum, let's assume Embiid will miss the remaining three games of the regular season for the Sixers. That has significant implications on the playoff race in the East, as Philly may not be able to catch the Raptors or Hawks in order to avoid the Play-In round. That means the Sixers may have to fight for their playoff spot, which will be more difficult without Embiid in the lineup.

If things don't break right for the Sixers, there is a chance they could miss the playoffs entirely if they don't survive the Play-In. But if they do manage to make it into the playoffs, it will be a daunting road ahead. Let's say the Sixers nab the seventh seed; they'd have to face a dangerous Boston Celtics team that now has Jayson Tatum back. Embiid could've dominated against a Celtics roster that doesn't have a ton of depth in the frontcourt, outside of Neemias Queta, to contend with his strength and size. If he's out for that series, the Celtics would certainly have more of an advantage without having to worry about how to contain Embiid.

Similar problems would happen if the Sixers got the eighth seed and had to face the Pistons. Detroit's size and physicality would overwhelm Philadelphia even with Embiid, and if he's sidelined, Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart could be even better positioned against the Sixers.

All hope shouldn't be lost just yet, but Tyrese Maxey and Paul George will be asked to handle significantly more on offense to not just avoid the Play-In, but also keep things afloat until Embiid is able to return.

Joel Embiid's unfortunate injury history

You'd be hard-pressed to find a player with an unluckier run of injuries, especially around or during the playoffs, than Embiid. It's so extensive, it would just be easier to list them all.

• 2024 playoffs: Played through a knee injury that was later determined to be a torn meniscus. Embiid was also diagnosed with Bell's Palsy during the first round of the playoffs against the Knicks, a series the Sixers lost 4-2.
• 2023 playoffs: After dominating in the first three games against the Nets in the first round, Embiid suffered a knee sprain that sidelined him for the rest of that series, as well as Game 1 of the second round against the Celtics. The Sixers lost the Celtics series in seven games. 
• 2022 playoffs: Missed the first two games in the second round against the Heat due to an orbital fracture and concussion. The Sixers lost to the Heat in six games. 
• 2021 playoffs: Suffered a small tear in his meniscus in the first round against the Wizards, which sidelined him for Game 5 of that series. Despite that, Embiid still played in all seven games of the second-round series against the Hawks -- a series the Sixers lost in heartbreaking fashion.
• 2019 playoffs: Dealt with knee tendinitis throughout the playoffs as well as a respiratory infection. The Sixers lost in Game 7 of the second round to the Raptors on Kawhi Leonard's famous buzzer-beater. 
• 2018 playoffs: Missed the first two games of the playoffs after suffering an orbital fracture near the end of the regular season. The Sixers lost in five games in the second round to the Celtics.

That doesn't even include the many knee surgeries and issues Embiid had early on in his career or at various points throughout the regular season over the years. With appendicitis added to the list, this is another unfortunate turn of events for Embiid and the Sixers yet again as the playoffs are about to start.