Joel Embiid’s availability is the question that always hovers over him.
And it didn’t take very long at all to become a central storyline in this second-round series.
He is out for Game 2 Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden due to right hip soreness and a right ankle sprain.
He did not participate in 76ers shootaround Wednesday after dealing with the injuries, according to ESPN. He had previously been listed as probable with the ailments.
Embiid had a nightmarish showing in the Knicks’ Game 1 rout, recording 14 points on rough 3-for-11 shooting from the field. And he was even worse defensively, as the Knicks exploited his lack of mobility by putting him in endless pick-and-rolls.
Without him, it was expected that Tyrese Maxey, who was curiously uninvolved in Game 1, would become much more of a focal point on the offensive end. And it was expected that Andre Drummond and Adem Bona would get more minutes to replace Embiid.
The Knicks had a completely clean injury report. Other than Embiid, Maxey was listed on the 76ers’ injury report with a right finger strain but was available for Game 2.
Embiid previously missed the end of the regular season and the first three games of the first round against the Celtics following surgery for appendicitis. He returned for the final four games of the series, in which the 76ers overcame a 3-1 deficit.
The 76ers’ two regular-season wins against the Knicks actually came without Embiid – and both were at MSG. Including Game 1, the 76ers were 0-3 with Embiid against the Knicks this year.
So, there is a case to be made that the 76ers are better without him, at least in this matchup.
Regardless, the 76ers’ lack of depth was always a weakness that required all of their starters to be healthy in order to mitigate. After a grueling seven-game series in the first round, it was a glaring uncertainty whether they’d all be full go in the second round.
Already, they are down their former MVP.
