Ankle Injury Has Joel Embiid Questionable for Sixers vs. Grizzlies

Joel Embiid's chances of landing an All-NBA nod this season could end as early as Tuesday.

Embiid is questionable for the Sixers' game against the Memphis Grizzlies due to the right ankle sprain that caused him to miss Sunday's blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, along with the "right knee injury management" that he's been listed with for a while. If he does miss this game, this will be the 18th one he's missed this season, which will officially disqualify him for Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year or an All-NBA nod thanks to the 65-game minimum for those awards.

Both Johni Broome and new two-way signee MarJon Beauchamp are listed as doubtful since they're on assignment in the G League. Trendon Watford (adductor) and Kelly Oubre Jr. (knee) are both listed as out, although the Sixers issued a positive update about both on Monday.

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Luckily for the Sixers, the Grizzlies are dealing with even more injuries. Zach Edey (ankle), Brandon Clarke (calf), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (hamstring), Ty Jerome (calf), John Konchar (thumb), Scotty Pippen Jr. (toe), Vince Williams (patellar tendinitis) and two-way signee Jahmai Mashack (G League) are all out, while Jock Landale (calf), Olivier-Maxence Prosper (G League) and Javon Small (G League) are listed as questionable.

If all of the players listed as questionable miss Tuesday's game, the Grizzlies could be down to only eight players in their rotation: Jaren Jackson Jr., Ja Morant, Cedric Coward, Jaylen Wells, Santi Aldama, GG Jackson, Cam Spencer and 10-day signee Christian Koloko. Fatigue could become an issue late in the game for the Grizzlies if that's the case.

Can Sixers stop their three-game skid?

The Sixers are currently riding a season-high three-game losing streak, but the Grizzlies' injury issues might be the perfect antidote. Even if Embiid misses this game, the Sixers' depth could be a difference-maker.

Outside of Jackson and Aldama, the Grizzlies won't have a ton of size with Edey and Clarke sidelined, particularly if Landale misses the game. They might not be well-equipped to punish the Sixers for Embiid's potential absence as long as Adem Bona stays out of foul trouble.

Morant is in the midst of a disappointing season in which he's shooting a career-worst 37.4 percent from the field. He'll still likely be top of mind on the Sixers' scouting report, but they can't forget about Jackson, Aldama, Wells, Coward and even Spencer. All five of them have the potential to go off.

Spencer in particular has been a revelation for the Grizzlies amidst Morant's disappointing season. He's averaging 12.4 points, 4.7 assists and 2.5 rebounds in only 23.3 minutes per game while shooting 49.6 percent overall and 48.1 percent from deep. Luckily, the Sixers have VJ Edgecombe and Quentin Grimes to throw at Spencer and Morant. It could be a long night in the office for those two.

The Grizzlies have lost two games to the bottom-feeding Washington Wizards over the past 10 days, although they've bounced back from their 6-12 start to the season. The Sixers can't afford to overlook them—after all, the Grizzlies just routed the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday—but they enter Tuesday's game as the far healthier team and could ride a major depth advantage to victory.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM.

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