Joel Embiid’s situation might be one of the strangest ever. When healthy and available, he is an unstoppable force. Even last night, he went off for a 29-point triple-double to lead his team to victory against the Mavs. But the problem is – Embiid is rarely HEALTHY and AVAILABLE. He missed fifteen straight games due to a knee injury before returning yesterday. Turns out, he is on the sidelines once again for tonight’s Heat clash.

Yes, Joel will not suit up for the back-to-back encounter. The reason? Left knee injury management. Well, it was earlier this season that the former MVP made his stance clear, “If I had to guess, I would probably never play back-to-backs the rest of my career.” The aim is to not risk injury and stay available for the playoffs. Sure enough, the Sixers are being extremely cautious managing Embiid’s lingering injuries.

Moreover, it might be a good decision to rest him tonight because he had a massive injury scare last night. The incident occurred in the opening minutes of the third quarter. As Daniel Gafford jumped to grab his own rebound, he accidentally elbowed Joel in the face, leading to the Sixers star falling to the floor in visible agony. Fortunately, there was no serious damage and Embiid was able to continue playing.

Adding to the concerns, he played a season-high 36 minutes last night, which is a lot more than Nick Nurse had planned. So, sitting him out against the Heat would eliminate any risk of fatigue and injury. Of course, this puts the Sixers in a tough spot as they are already dealing with multiple sidelined players. Well, Paul George has been out with a finger injury and his availability remains uncertain. Kyle Lowry, Quentin Grimes, Eric Gordon, KJ Martin, Andre Drummond, and Jared McCain are also among the injured stars.

Sixers and Heat Depth Chart

With Embiid out, this is what the Philly franchise’s depth chart looks like:

Well, Guerschon Yabusele will likely replace Joel as the starting Center. Meanwhile, the rest of the lineup is likely to remain the same as last night’s Mavs game.

This is what the Heat depth chart looks like:

Obviously, Jimmy Butler will continue to sit out as he remains suspended amid his ongoing trade saga. Adding to the concerns, Josh Richardson and Dru Smith are still recovering from their respective injuries.

Sure enough, both teams have already met once this season in November, and the Miami franchise won that battle. And there is a high chance they might win another one tonight as Sixers play without Joel Embiid and potentially Paul George. Whose side are you on?