Mavs’ Jason Kidd: 76ers Could Still Be ‘Dangerous’ Without Joel Embiid

When the Dallas Mavericks paid a visit to the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night, they saw an injury-plagued version of the team.

Not only did the Sixers miss several key role players, including Nic Batum, De’Anthony Melton, and Robert Covington, but the Sixers participated in their third-straight game without the seven-time All-Star big man, Joel Embiid.

On Sunday night, the Sixers announced the next step for Embiid was to undergo surgery to repair the meniscus injury he suffered last Tuesday against the Golden State Warriors. He missed the following matchups against the Utah Jazz, Brooklyn Nets, and Mavericks.

“It’s tough, you never want to see an athlete have surgery in midseason,” said Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd on Monday night. “Especially with his abilities both offensively and defensively and what he means to the 76ers. He’s an MVP. He’s one of the best players in the world.”

For seven years in a row, Embiid has earned All-Star honors. Over the last few seasons, he finished the regular season as an MVP finalist and won the award just last year. This season, Embiid was leveling up his game once again. In the 34 games he appeared in prior to his latest injury, Embiid averaged 35 points and six assists, which marked a career-high. Once again, he was widely considered the league’s MVP.

The Sixers have certainly felt the void of Embiid in games they played without him this season. Since he left the Golden State game with his injury, the Sixers lost three games in a row. Heading into Monday’s matchup with Dallas, the Sixers were 4-10 in his absence overall.

Philly might feel concerned due to the situation, but their Monday night opponent wasn’t overlooking them in any way.

“That’s going to be probably a tough hole to fill, but that gives those guys an opportunity that don’t get those minutes,” Kidd added.

Oftentimes, throughout the 2023-2024 season, Embiid turned into a one-man show when he would heat up from the field. Just a few games before his latest setback, the big man broke a single-game franchise record by scoring 70 points against the San Antonio Spurs. He had multiple 40 and 50-point games throughout the year, and produced at least 30 in every game he played in for over two months.

Replacing that production with one player likely isn’t possible, but Jason Kidd isn’t under the belief that the Sixers should be overlooked because of that.

“Being in our seat, we've seen a lot of injuries that gives other guys the opportunity to play, and they have to step up, and so it can be dangerous at times because they have talented guys over there,” Kidd finished. “Everybody's a pro, and you know they want to show the coach and their teammates that they can play at a high level. Embiid is one of the best players in the world, and you just hope for a speedy recovery.”

The Mavericks managed to take care of business against an Embiid-less Sixers team on Monday by collecting a 118-102 win. Despite the recent skid, the Sixers hope that as they get healthier, they will figure it out over time.