Kevin Durant's All-Star Absence Could Promote Sixers' Joel Embiid

Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant is not expected to play in the 2023 NBA All-Star game, according to Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes.

Durant, who’s been battling an MCL sprain for the last few weeks, last appeared on the court for the Nets during their January 8 matchup against the Miami Heat.

When Durant initially went down with his injury, the star forward was expected to miss around a month’s worth of games. It was initially reported that Durant could be back right around the All-Star break. All signs pointed toward the forward playing in the All-Star game.

However, after his latest evaluation, it seems Durant needs more time to recover and isn’t expected to take the floor until after the All-Star break.

With Durant out for the big game, it is widely expected that Joel Embiid could end up getting promoted to the Eastern Conference’s starters pool. When the voting results were initially revealed, Embiid lost out to Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, and Durant.

To no surprise, Embiid was voted into the game as the first reserve from the East. Considering Embiid ranked in third place for the Eastern Conference frontcourt media and player votes.

While Embiid attempted to brush off getting left out of the All-Star game’s starting lineup, the big man did make it clear that he felt he was deserving of the nod. Perhaps, all will be right for Embiid as Durant won’t be able to participate in Utah on February 19.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.