Joel Embiid’s injury appears even worse than 76ers fans could have imagined

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid injured his right thumb, and reports indicate that it is worse than expected.

The Philadelphia 76ers were riding high after Joel Embiid hit a game-winning three-pointer in overtime in Game 3 to defeat the Toronto Raptors. Despite that, it was revealed that Embiid was dealing with pain in his right thumb. As it turns out, the injury was worse than expected.

When speaking with the media ahead of Game 4 on Saturday, Apr. 23, head coach Doc Rivers said that “there’s concern” over Embiid’s thumb injury and that he will likely get an MRI on it to reveal the extent of the injury once the team returns to Philadelphia.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Romona Shelburne report that the initial exam that Embiid had suggested that he has suffered ligament damage.

Joel Embiid’s injury appears even worse than first thought

Even as Embiid deals with this injury, he planned on playing through it. That was evident, as he was active and on the court for Game 4 for Philadelphia’s first-round series.

But, Rivers did note in the tweet above that he did not expect the injury to get any worse than it already was.

Through the first three games of the first-round series, Embiid averaged 27.7 points and 13.0 rebounds while shooting 51.0-percent from the field.

When the 76ers return to Philadelphia, whether after completing the sweep of the Raptors or for Game 5, expect there to be an update when Embiid undergoes an MRI.