Joel Embiid can't seem to catch a break

The Philadelphia 76ers have struggled mightily to begin the season, currently sitting at 12th in the Eastern Conference standings at 7-16. Philadelphia's best player, center Joel Embiid, has been plagued with injuries to start the season, playing in only six of Philadelphia's 23 games so far. He may miss more.

Embiid left the Sixers 121-107 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Friday with a sinus fracture after being hit in the face while defending the paint in the first half. According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, Embiid will undergo further testing over the weekend. It's unclear how many, if any, additional games Embiid will miss.

Joel Embiid has been ruled out with injury vs. Pacers

He will undergo further testing after 'impact to right side of face' pic.twitter.com/K0E7jrYB4F
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 14, 2024

Embiid's season and career can be told through a series of injuries. This season, the Sixers' big man missed the first seven games because of management to a left knee injury and then an additional three games due to suspension after shoving a member of the media postgame. Embiid missed an additional two games at the end of November because of swelling in his knee.

Embiid's injuries have hurt his play. In six games he's averaging 20.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. A season ago he averaged over 34 points and 11 rebounds per game. It would stand to reason that the Sixers would struggle without Embiid in the lineup and play better when he plays, however that hasn't been the case this year. Philadelphia is 1-5 with Embiid in and 6-11 with him out of the lineup.

His continued missed time -- Embiid has played in just 52% of the possible games in his career -- has significantly hurt the Sixers and makes you wonder when the Sixers will end what seems to be a toxic relationship with their center. In the meantime, if Embiid misses more games, expect Guerschon Yabusele and Andre Drummond to increase their time on the floor in place of Embiid.