76ers Rotation Changes After Joel Embiid Injury News: How Philly Must Adjust in Game 2

Joel Embiid will miss Game 2 due to hip and ankle injuries, leaving the Sixers shorthanded in the frontcourt.

May 4, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) reacts during the first quarter of game one of the eastern conference semifinal round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

On Tuesday, the Sixers initially listed Joel Embiid as probable for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the New York Knicks. He was listed with a right ankle sprain, which raised eyebrows after he was previously listed with a hip injury heading into Game 1, but the probable designation suggested he would play through it.

About that.

On the 1 p.m. ET injury report, the Sixers downgraded Embiid to out due to both his ankle and hip injuries. ESPN's Shams Charania shared more details:

Embiid was unable to participate in the team’s shootaround this morning after experiencing increased soreness in both his ankle and hip, sources said. He had been receiving around-the-clock treatment in efforts to play. https://t.co/IUY2HK77KE

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 6, 2026

The Sixers will now look to even the series against the Knicks without their best player. This is fine.

How Embiid's absence impacts the Sixers

The silver lining of Embiid's absence (if there is one) is that the Sixers have had plenty of experience playing without him this season. In fact, they found themselves in this exact situation in the first round of the playoffs.

After the Boston Celtics annihilated the Embiid-less Sixers in Game 1, they came roaring back in Game 2 and briefly stole home-court advantage despite being without their star center. VJ Edgecombe became the first rookie since Tim Duncan to finish with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in a playoff game, while Tyrese Maxey was far more aggressive on offense as well.

The Sixers looked to run their offense through Embiid early in Game 1, which did get Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson in early foul trouble. However, Maxey attempted only one shot in the first quarter, while Embiid went 1-of-6 from the field. (Maxey did have four free-throw attempts as well.)

The Sixers won't have that luxury Wednesday. They aren't going to run their offense through Adem Bona or Andre Drummond. Maxey, Edgecombe and Paul George will have to carry them from the jump.

Bona figures to start at center in place of Embiid, just like he did in the first three games of the Celtics series. Granted, Drummond played more minutes than him in all three of those games.

The key for Bona will be staying out of foul trouble. He struggled with that in Game 1 against the Knicks, picking up five fouls in only four minutes of action. The Sixers can't afford for him to be that careless in Game 2.

Both Dan Devine of Yahoo Sports and Fred Katz of The Athletic noted after Game 1 how the Knicks intentionally targeted Embiid on defense, particularly in pick-and-roll sets to challenge his mobility. Drummond is similarly limited in that regard, but Bona has the foot speed and athleticism to defend out to the perimeter, provided he stays out of foul trouble.

Even if Embiid played in Game 2, the Sixers likely would have changed up their defensive assignments and schemes. They might have switched him off Karl-Anthony Towns and onto Josh Hart to allow him to play more of a free safety role on defense. It's worth seeing how that approach looks with Bona, too.

Embiid's absence will likely force head coach Nick Nurse to dig deeper into his bench, too. Dominick Barlow has played only spot minutes in the playoffs thus far, but the Sixers might need his rebounding in Game 2, particularly if Bona and/or Drummond get into foul trouble. However, the Knicks figure to largely ignore Barlow on offense, which could crimp the Sixers' spacing.

The Sixers already faced an uphill battle in this series after getting blown out by 39 points in Game 1. But they showed their resilience against the Celtics time and again in the first round even before Embiid returned.

Wednesday would be an awfully good time for an Adem Bona legacy game.

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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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