The Philadelphia 76ers might not have star big man Joel Embiid available Monday to defend the paint against Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin.
According to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Embiid is questionable (illness) for the Sixers’ road game against the Detroit Pistons. Per Pompey, Embiid did not participate in the Sixers’ shootaround.
Embiid missed the Sixers’ game against the Brooklyn Nets on Dec. 15 due to an upper respiratory illness.
The Sixers ended a three-game losing streak Saturday with a win over the Washington Wizards. Embiid posted his 20th double-double of the season, scoring 21 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. It was also the 17th time this season Embiid has scored at least 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
The #Sixers center missed today’s shootaround due to an illness. He is questionable for tonight’s game. Reserve PG Raul Neto, who also missed shootaround, is probable with an illness. https://t.co/wR93dQpZZX
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) December 23, 2019
Embiid’s importance to the Sixers is significant on both ends of the floor. He’s the team’s leading scorer, rebounder and shot blocker. The Sixers are 3-3 this season when he hasn’t played.
With the Sixers having one of the biggest teams in the league, their offense is different compared to teams that like shooting threes. Rather, feeding Embiid is the No. 1 priority; he has the highest usage percentage on the team (30.8%).
The Sixers don’t shoot many threes and rank 26th in 3-point attempts. Philly is a solid shooting team, though, as it’s ranked 10th in 3-point field goal percentage.
But since Philly’s offense is built around Embiid and his success, his health going forward will be of the utmost importance.
[lawrence-related id=21972,21895,21765,21559]