Charles Bassey's Injury Status Upgraded Ahead of Sixers vs. Heat Game 1

The Philadelphia 76ers have a significant injury concern heading into their Game 1 matchup against the Miami Heat in the second round of the playoffs.

During their final matchup against the Toronto Raptors in the first round, Sixers center Joel Embiid took an elbow to the face. As a result, he suffered a fractured orbital bone and a mild concussion.

Considering those two injuries are now added along with his torn thumb ligament, Embiid will miss time moving forward. Since the big man is not cleared out of the NBA's concussion protocol, Embiid did not travel to Miami on Sunday.

And according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Embiid won't travel to Miami at all this week. Therefore, Embiid will miss the first two games of the second round.

The Sixers have several centers that can and will fill in with Embiid out of the picture for now. While it's unclear who Rivers will roll with, he has multiple options already available and could have another as early as Monday night as the rookie center Charles Bassey has seen an upgrade in his injury status.

Will Bassey Get Cleared for Game 1?

Bassey was ruled out for at least a week throughout the final stretch of the regular season as he was dealing with a shoulder sprain. After getting re-evaluated, Bassey remained off the floor.

In the first round, Bassey was ruled out for six-straight games. With the second round approaching, Bassey has been upgraded to questionable ahead of Game 1.

When the Sixers took the practice court on Saturday afternoon, Bassey was a full participant for the first time in weeks. During Sunday morning's practice session, Bassey was good to go once again.

While he's not guaranteed to get the green light to suit up for the Sixers on Monday night, everything is trending in the right direction for the rookie big man. And if all goes right before tip-off, Rivers will have several centers, including DeAndre Jordan, Paul Millsap, Paul Reed, and Bassey, available to fill in for Embiid.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.