NBA Rumors: The 'Door Isn't Closed' for Joel Embiid's Return to Sixers

The Philadelphia 76ers received terrible news on Friday night. Roughly 24 hours after the Sixers defeated the Toronto Raptors in Game 6 on the road to advance

The Philadelphia 76ers received terrible news on Friday night. Roughly 24 hours after the Sixers defeated the Toronto Raptors in Game 6 on the road to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals, the team found out that their star center Joel Embiid suffered a significant setback.

Injuries are nothing new to Embiid -- especially in the postseason. Just last year, Embiid suffered a torn meniscus in the first round of the playoffs. Last week, Embiid tore a ligament in his thumb in the first round once again.

While Embiid played through the meniscus tear and intended to continue playing through the thumb injury, two more setbacks occurred in Game 6 and could put a stop to Embiid's playoff run in 2022.

As the 76ers were looking to close out their Game 6 matchup in Toronto with a blowout win, Embiid took an elbow to the face while defending Raptors big man Pascal Siakam. While the injury didn't seem too serious at the time, further evaluations proved otherwise.

According to a Sixers official, Embiid suffered a right orbital fracture and a mild concussion from the elbow to the face. While the 76ers couldn't put a timeline on Embiid's injury, he is out indefinitely.

On Monday, the Sixers are set to tip off with the Miami Heat for Game 1. Embiid will expectedly miss the matchup. Judging based on Embiid's past experiences with this injury, many assume this might spell the end of Embiid's playoff run this year.

However, Ramonda Shelburne of ESPN hints that might not be the case.

Embiid will be evaluated again next week, but at a minimum he must be out 5 days with the concussion, sources said.

There is no timetable for this injury yet but sources said “the door isn’t closed.”

— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) April 30, 2022

"There is no timetable for this injury yet," Shelburne reported. "But sources said 'The door isn’t closed.'"

Embiid's chances of returning to the Sixers' lineup in the playoffs might be slim, but any chance is good at this point. While the Sixers still have talent outside of Embiid, losing an MVP-caliber player would be a significant hit for any team.

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