The struggling Philadelphia 76ers are off to a surprisingly poor start, largely due to injuries. Their star, Joel Embiid, has missed 19 of the team's first 25 games and could miss their game against the Charlotte Hornets after suffering a sinus fracture in their loss to the Indiana Pacers.
I dug up a study from 2020 that found just 53 incidences of facial fractures over 34 years of NBA play. That included just 15 orbital bone fractures and one sinus fracture.
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) December 14, 2024
Embiid has now had three just by himself.
More on last night's game: https://t.co/f9pe9JJ76E
That is only the latest blow to the Sixers, with Rookie of the Year frontrunner Jared McCain suffering a torn meniscus that will keep him out for at least 6 weeks, possibly longer. With the Sixers perpetually short-handed, his play helped keep their season afloat, but now they will have to rely on others, including Embiid, and his absence.
With the Sixers nine games under .500 and just 12th in the Eastern Conference, they can't afford to lose more ground. But will Embiid play on Monday against the Hornets?
Philadelphia 76ers injury report
Joining Embiid on the Sixers injury report are Adam Bona, McCain, and Caleb Martin. All four players will sit out against the Hornets on Monday with the Sixers set to be without three rotation players.
Embiid's importance obviously outweighs them, and while he broke his nose, it's possible that he will be the first player back. Embiid previously played through an orbital fracture, with him missing two playoff games before wearing a cool-looking black protective mask in his return.
It's possible that he may miss their next few games before returning. Wearing a similar protective mask.
Charlotte Hornets full injury report
Although the 76ers are going to be without three rotation players, the Charlotte Hornets will actually have a full roster. That will give them a leg up against the Sixers, though Philadelphia will still have Maxey and Paul George to fall back on. Even so, the Sixers have still lost a lot of winnable games this season, so it isn't far-fetched to think that the Hornets could pull one out against the Sixers.
All in all, don't expect Embiid to play against the Hornets with him out due to a sinus fracture. With Embiid already set to miss at least one game of their remaining back-to-backs, he is expected to miss more time over the remainder of the season.
Even so, him breaking his nose was more of a freak occurrence that hopefully shouldn't keep him out of the lineup for a long time. With the Sixers 12th in the East, they need their best player to stay healthy, but 23 games into the season, he is struggling to do so.