76ers' Joel Embiid fractures orbital bone of left eye, needs surgery

Michael Singer | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Sixers' Joel Embiid answers our burning questions Joel Embiid hits on a handful of topics, including his status as one of the best Twitter users in the NBA.

Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid suffered a fractured orbital bone of his left eye which will require surgery in the coming days, the team announced Thursday evening.

On top of the orbital injury, Embiid also suffered a concussion and has been placed in the NBA’s concussion protocol.

The team didn’t provide any more information in terms of when Embiid might be back.

The Sixers are 42-21 with Embiid starting. With Embiid on the court, the Sixers score 111.4 points and allow 99.7 points per 100 possessions, and with Embiid not in the game, the Sixers score 101.8 points and allow 105.7 points per 100 possessions. The Sixers go from a plus-11.6 net raing with Embiid to a minus-3.9 without him.

Embiid is a major difference-maker and is integral to Philadelphia’s success.

Timelines to return from an orbital fracture vary. When surgery is required, the minimum games missed is five games and the maximum 28, according to certified athletic trainer Jeff Stotts who maintains a database of player injuries at instreetclothes.com.

I guess I gotta trust “The Process” that I’ve been preaching... Unfortunate freak accident but I’ll be more than fine. Injuries jokes coming in 3,2,1 #TheProcess #Two-Face pic.twitter.com/6Q2wXaOC6C — Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) March 30, 2018

Embiid initially was evaluated in the locker room Wednesday night, where he passed the NBA’s “locker room concussion assessment tool.”

Embiid later experienced concussion-like symptoms.

He was injured early in the second quarter against the New York Knicks when his head collided with rookie Markelle Fultz on a dribble handoff.

Joel Embiid is out for the game with a facial bruise after colliding with Markelle Fultz on this play. pic.twitter.com/UzAfiuygig — NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 29, 2018

At 44-30, the 76ers are sitting in the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, a half game up on the Indiana Pacers. The playoffs start April 14, and the 76ers would sorely miss Embiid's production if he had to miss time.

Follow Singer on Twitter @msinger