NBA Playoffs: Everything you need to know about Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers

Key Question No.3: Can Embiid stay healthy & carry this team?

The Sixers are 8-8 in 16 games without Ben Simmons this season, including 2-3 inside the bubble. So it’s not entirely out of the realm of possibility for the Sixers to win four of seven without him. But it’s highly unlikely.

The results of this series hinge highly on multiple things; can Brett Brown make the necessary adjustments to outsmart the witty Brad Stevens, and can Joel Embiid stay healthy enough to elevate his teammates and carry the Philadelphia 76ers on his back?

The answer to both is probably no. We’ve covered the first part earlier in the article, and the latter is a little tricky. Just days before twisting his ankle in the first quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers, Embiid raved about his health and his excitement for the playoffs on former teammate JJ Redick’s podcast.

Embiid would go on to injure his wrist as well against the Toronto Raptors a few nights later. He appears to be healthy now, playing close to 23 minutes in a 38-point blowout victory over the Houston Rockets Friday night in the final seeding game.

Health has always been an issue for the seven-footer from Cameroon. He red-shirted his first two NBA seasons, has rehabbed from multiple injuries and has yet to appear in 65-plus games in a season since making his debut in 2016.

Embiid has shown the ability to be a leader and often shows flashes of being the best defensive center in the NBA. But it’s yet to be seen if he can consistently put the team first and make sure he keeps his teammates involved.

While Embiid should benefit from the increased spacing in Simmons’ absence, all defensive eyes will now be on Embiid. So the real beneficiaries of  Simmons’ injury are the perimeter players.

Players like Alec Burks, Korkmanz, Milton, Thybulle, and Richardson need to be aggressive on offense and ready on the outside waiting to pull the trigger when Embiid kicks it out of the post. For that to happen, Embiid must remain poised and not let his ego get the best of him, forcing shots and bad passes leading to too many empty possessions.

He must trust his instincts and the time he has put in at practice to pass to the open man on the perimeter when the defense doubles him in the post. It is paramount that Embiid does his best to force as few shots as possible, keep his turnovers to a minimum and have confidence that his teammates will knock down the open shots.

Even if Embiid does everything right, the risk of injury and losing your two best players is still very high for Philly. With Boston’s physical style and Embiid’s durability issues, the odds are not in the Sixers’ favor.

If Embiid can stay healthy, and use the gravity he creates on offense to elevate his teammates’ game, the 76ers will a real shot at upsetting the Celtics in the first round and possibly even saving Brett Brown’s job.