76ers fear Joel Embiid dealing with torn ligament in thumb, MVP candidate vows

Joel Embiid is experiencing pain and discomfort in his right thumb, according to Ramona Shelburne and Adrian Wojnarowski. Embiid practiced Friday and is reportedly expected to play in Game 4 of the Philadelphia 76ers‘ first-round series against the Toronto Raptors. He could get an MRI in the near future to figure out just how the bad injury is, but that has not been set yet. According to Shams Charania, there is fear that Embiid is dealing with a torn ligament in that thumb, but Embiid has vowed to keep playing through the injury.

Embiid has been stellar throughout the first round. His 76ers are one win away from sweeping the Raptors out of the playoffs. Embiid is averaging just under 28 points and 13 rebounds in the series, and in Game 3, he made a 3-pointer with 0.9 seconds left on the clock in overtime to give the 76ers the win over the Raptors.

Embiid has a lengthy history of injuries in the postseason. Though he missed only one game last year, a knee injury limited him in the 2021 playoffs. He similarly struggled to stay on the floor during the 2019 postseason, and he obviously missed the first two seasons of his career due to injury. While Embiid is perhaps the best player in the NBA when healthy, durability has always been a major concern of his.

If the Sixers take care of business in Game 4 on Saturday, Embiid would likely have some time to rest before starting the second round, which will presumably come against the Miami Heat. The 76ers need Embiid to be at 100 percent if they plan to seriously compete for the championship this season. James Harden and Tyrese Maxey have given him some scoring help, but ultimately their hopes rest on his broad shoulders.