With Joel Embiid sidelined, how worried should the Philadelphia 76ers be?
Through the first half of the NBA season, it has been relatively smooth sailing in Philadelphia.
The 76ers own the best record in the Eastern Conference, at 27-12, and All-Star center Joel Embiid has averaged 29.9 points and 11.5 rebounds to place himself at the forefront of the MVP conversation.
But now, the team will have to make do without one of the NBA's most dominant forces – at least for a little while.
Embiid is slated to miss two-to-three weeks because of a bone bruise in his left knee, and while that doesn't seem like a very long time, the consequences of his absence could be costly for the 76ers.
Retired NBA veteran Paul Pierce detailed on ESPN's "The Jump" how he once endured the same injury and how it hindered his play.
"I'm very concerned about this injury because one, he's always been injured, and two, I've had a bone bruise in my knee, and there is no timetable on this. Bone bruises in the knee, mine took eight months to heal. It took eight months to heal, and I had no lift."
The possibility that Embiid's injury could linger should be a concern for the Sixers, who currently sit just one game ahead of a surging Brooklyn Nets team that has won 12 of its past 13 games. The Milwaukee Bucks, led by All-Star Game MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, are just 2.5 games back.
The 76ers have yet to play the Bucks this season, and while they are 1-1 against the Nets, Brooklyn didn't have Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving for those contests.
Is Embiid's injury a reason to panic in Philadelphia? The numbers might indicate so.
The Sixers are 24-7 with their star big man in the lineup, with a +6.7 point differential. In the eight games he has missed, they are 3-5 with a +0.25 point differential.
These struggles could make the Sixers buyers as we head toward the March 25 trade deadline, according to Sam Quinn of CBS Sports, particularly for perimeter players who can create their own shots.
"Outside of Embiid, the 76ers do not have a player currently in the top 50 in the NBA in isolation scoring per game. Even a passer that could make use of Simmons as a cutter and decoy would go a long way."
If the Sixers aren't able to upgrade their roster in Embiid's absence, the best way to hold serve would be in the form of increased productivity from guard Ben Simmons.
Simmons averages 16 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 7.7 assists this season. But in games without Embiid, his scoring increases to 19 PPG, including a career-high 42 points against the Utah Jazz.
So far, so good for the Sixers, as they blew out the San Antonio Spurs 134-99 in their first game following Embiid's injury, with six players scoring in double figures.
It remains to be seen how greatly the Sixers will feel the effects of playing without Embiid or if they will need to make roster upgrades to fill his absence.
What is clear is that the team can ill afford to slip with the Nets and Bucks in hot pursuit.
The next three weeks could very well shape the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
