Joel Embiid’s Latest Setback Is All Too Familiar For The 76ers

Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid in action during an NBA basketball game Friday, April 3, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

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Since he entered the NBA, Joel Embiid has endured numerous injuries and bad luck. Still, it looked like the 7-foot center would be healthy heading into this postseason, giving the Philadelphia 76ers some hope they could finally break their 25-year streak of not advancing to the Eastern Conference finals.

Now, after Embiid underwent emergency surgery for appendicitis Thursday, the franchise is in a familiar place. The 76ers did not disclose how long it would take Embiid to recover, but it is safe to assume he won’t be on the court when the play-in tournament or playoffs begin.

After losing to the Houston Rockets Thursday night, the 76ers (43-37) are tied for eighth in the conference with the Charlotte Hornets. The 76ers won their season series against the Hornets, so Philadelphia would be the higher seed if the teams end up tied.

The 76ers have two regular season games remaining: Friday at the Indiana Pacers and Sunday in Philadelphia against the Milwaukee Bucks. Every other team has two games left, too.

As of now, the Detroit Pistons have secured the No. 1 seed, while the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers have clinched the next three seeds, although the order depends on how the teams fare this weekend.

After that, the Toronto Raptors (45-35) and Atlanta Hawks have identical records and are the No. 5 and No. 6 seeds, while the Orlando Magic (44-36) is the No. 7 seed. Those teams are not locked into those spots, though.

The top six seeds clinch a playoff berth, while the next four seeds must compete in the play-in tournament next week for the final two playoff spots.

The No. 7 and No. 8 seeds face each other next Tuesday night (April 14), with the winner securing a playoff berth and a series against the No. 2 seed. The loser, meanwhile, plays the winner of next Wednesday’s No. 9 seed-No. 10 seed play-in game for the final spot in the postseason and a first round matchup against the No. 1 seed.

For the 76ers, it is looking like they will be competing in the play-in tournament. They lost the season series to the Hawks, so the best they can get is the No. 6 seed. That would only happen if the 76ers win their final two games. They would also need the Raptors lose their final two games and the Magic to lose at least once.

If the 76ers are in the play-in, they will be missing Embiid, who traveled with the team to Houston Wednesday but started feeling sick that night and into Thursday. He was diagnosed with appendicitis and underwent surgery.

After the 76ers selected Embiid with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 draft, he sat out his first two seasons due to a foot injury. He finally played in the 2016-17 season, but he only appeared in 31 games and underwent knee surgery. The next season, he made his first All-Star team, played in 62 games and averaged 22.9 points and 11 rebounds per game, although he sustained an orbital fracture late in the regular season and missed the first two games of the 2018 playoffs. The 76ers lost to the Celtics in the second round.

Over the next few postseasons, Embiid dealt with other issues, including knee tendinits in 2019, a torn meniscus in 2021, an orbital bone fracture in 2022, a right knee injury in 2023 and Bell’s palsy in 2024.

Last season, Embiid played in only 19 games, as he sustained a left knee injury and underwent surgery in April. The 76ers finished 24-58 and missed the postseason for the first time since 2017.

This season, Embiid has appeared in 38 games, missing long stretches in November due to knee soreness and again in March due to an oblique strain. Embiid returned to the lineup on March 25 and averaged 30 points in the next three games. Since then, he has sat out two games because they were the second games in as many days, which can be hard on any player, let alone someone with Embiid’s injury history.

With Embiid out for the foreseeable future, the 76ers are going to rely more on backups Adem Bona, a second-year player who started Thursday, and Andre Drummond, who is in his 14th season. Still, they are a significant downgrade from Embiid, who is averaging 26.9 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.

The 76ers have other talented players such as guard Tyrese Maxey, who is averaging 28.3 points and 6.7 assists per game, and forward Paul George, who recently returned from a 25-game suspension and is averaging 17.4 points per game. They also have a promising rookie in guard VJ Edgecombe, who has started every game he’s played and averages 16.1 points per game. But for the 76ers to advance far in the playoffs, they need a healthy Embiid, a franchise player whose injury and illness history has marred an otherwise Hall of Fame-caliber career.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com